In Shenzhen, Guangdong, Yantian Port stands as one of the world's largest single container terminals, a true global shipping hub dispatching over 40,000 standard containers daily to destinations worldwide.

In the first half of 2026, the port's container throughput reached a new historical high for the period, with cross-border e-commerce logistics showing particularly rapid growth.

The CMA CGM Osiris, a vessel loaded with nearly 5,000 standard containers, departed Yantian Port for the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands on the evening of July 17th.

This ship operates on a new express route to Europe launched in April 2026, which cuts transit time by nearly half a month compared to standard routes, perfectly meeting the stringent timeliness demands of cross-border e-commerce.

Notably, every sailing on this route has been fully loaded since its inauguration.

At 4 PM, the operational control center, known as the "port brain" at Shenzhen's Yantian Port, is a hive of activity.

Staff issue commands via the operating platform, coordinating all activities across the port's 20 deep-water berths, from loading and unloading massive ships to container placement in the yard and the movement of trucks through the gates.

Kang Hongjun, the Duty Manager at Yantian International Container Terminals, reported that the daily handling volume was nearing 60,000 standard containers, with over 20,000 truck trips processed at the gates.

Since the beginning of 2026, the port has specifically added multiple remote-controlled pieces of equipment to enhance operational efficiency.

To align with the timeliness needs of cross-border e-commerce clients, Yantian Port has collaborated with shipping companies to launch over ten sea express routes.

Addressing a key pain point for cross-border e-commerce less-than-container-load (LCL) cargo—where numerous small consignments risk entire container delays if one is inspected—the port has implemented a "inspect first, ship later" model for sea LCL.

Lin Zhiluan, Deputy General Manager of Commercial Business at Yantian International, explained that companies can first send their scattered goods to designated customs supervision areas for inspection before consolidation and loading, compressing customs clearance time by over 50% and saving companies more than 30% in comprehensive costs.

In the first half of 2026, Yantian Port's container throughput exceeded 8.3459 million TEUs, a 10% year-on-year increase, setting another record high.

Cross-border e-commerce has become a crucial engine for the growth of the port's foreign trade container volume.

From Daily Necessities to Tech Products: Yantian Port Facilitates Global Reach for "Made in China"

As a national "super hub" for cross-border e-commerce, Shenzhen is home to over 120,000 cross-border e-commerce sellers, accounting for nearly half of the national total.

From daily necessities to technology products, Yantian Port facilitates the global distribution of "Made in China" goods with its highly efficient services.

The company where Yan Aoyi works, established just over two years ago, launched its first product—a dynamic ergonomic office chair—in the latter half of 2025 after completing its R&D phase and began selling it overseas via cross-border e-commerce channels.

Yan Aoyi, the company's head of overseas marketing, reported that online sales in overseas markets reached over 100 million yuan in the first quarter and approximately 140 million yuan in the second quarter of 2026, representing a nearly 50% increase compared to the second half of 2025.

Achieving such sales performance overseas with a startup's first product has been highly encouraging for Yan and her colleagues.

She stated that choosing to develop the business in Shenzhen was primarily due to the city's complete industrial chain support and efficient port logistics, which enabled them to establish a full-cycle process from R&D to global sales in just over two years.

The head of another Shenzhen-based portable fan company explained that an unprecedented heatwave in Europe during May and June 2026 caused severe shortages of portable fans in the local market.

They utilized Yantian Port's rapid export channels to replenish stock, quickly getting their products back onto European shelves.

Company负责人 Chen Liang noted that their growth in the European market for the first half of 2026 was three to five times higher than the same period in 2025.

The motor, mold, and supply chain industries across the Pearl River Delta region provide them with rapid response capabilities.

It is understood that the category structure of cross-border e-commerce exports from Shenzhen is undergoing significant changes.

A logistics company executive reported that their cross-border e-commerce cargo volume grew by about 30% year-on-year in the first half of 2026.

The customer base for smart devices, outdoor smart equipment, and consumer electronics products increased by approximately 15%.

Zhang Peipei, the company's head, mentioned that starting in 2026, products in categories like AI technology, smart equipment, and consumer electronics have shown significant growth, indicating ongoing product upgrades.

Huang Wei, Deputy Section Chief of the Vessel Supervision Division at Dapeng Customs (under Shenzhen Customs), reported that for the first half of the year, the export value of high-value products such as automatic data processing equipment, medical instruments and apparatus, and 3D printers through Yantian Port reached 38.09 billion yuan, 8.62 billion yuan, and 6.39 billion yuan, respectively.

These figures represent year-on-year growth of 47.7%, 2.7%, and 115.7%, respectively.