Amid the Spring Festival travel surge, YANTIAN in Shenzhen has emerged as a "flash hub" in the global race for "New Made-in-China" cargoes. While overseas ports may take several days to load 5,000 containers, a mega-vessel here can be fully loaded in just over 20 hours. What used to be mainly OEM light industrial products heading overseas has now evolved into shiploads of new-energy vehicles and lithium batteries setting sail to the world. On board the COSCO SHIPPING SPAIN, a young chief officer born in the 1990s can not only complete rapid loading and unloading in time for his holiday, but also connect with his family via 5G video calls. Yet this "China’s Smart Manufacturing" giant is merely a glimpse of YANTIAN's routine operations. Even more compelling is why the upcoming APEC meeting in Shenzhen views this port as a "pivot of the Asia-Pacific", and what kind of "clearance formula" underpins its remarkable efficiency.

(The following content is reprinted from the Southern Metropolis Daily's "Shenzhen Major Events.")

In less than 20 days, what is widely regarded as "the world's largest periodic human migration" will begin, lasting 40 days—the annual Spring Festival travel season. No matter how fierce the ticket rush or how far the journey, the simple words "going home for the New Year" carry the deepest emotions and hopes of countless Chinese people.

Crossing mountains and seas for long-awaited reunions, travellers pack their bags with blessings from home before embarking on their next departure. On the eve of New Year's Day in 2026, the COSCO SHIPPING SPAIN docked at YANTIAN as scheduled. Aboard this ocean giant laden with "China’s Smart Manufacturing," stories of "going home" and "setting off again" were already unfolding.

"I boarded the ship in June 2025, and I began feeling excited more than ten days before the mission ended. Just thinking about going home makes me smile uncontrollably…"

After months at sea, Zhang Qige—a young chief officer born in the 1990s from Shandong—finally welcomed his long-awaited leave. Responsible for the vessel's most demanding tasks of cargo stowage planning and transport safety, despite the joy of returning home, he carefully ensures a smooth handover to the incoming relief chief officer.

At this moment, YANTIAN is both a warm haven for long-distance voyagers and a strategic pivot through which Shenzhen, China's "third APEC city", connects to the world and shapes the future. Standing on the back of this floating "ocean giant," we engaged in an in-depth dialogue with the captain, chief officer, and chief engineer who safeguard every voyage.

For those living in Shenzhen, the ocean-going giants gliding past YANTIAN's waters are like "the most familiar strangers." They move silently across the horizon day and night, carrying the prosperity and aspirations of this "No.1 foreign-trade city." Yet, because deep-sea cargo vessels are regarded as "mobile national territory" and must strictly comply with the safety conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well as border control regulations, it is extraordinarily difficult for the general public—let alone the media—to cross the tightly guarded gangway. This strictness is not merely a legal boundary; it reflects a fundamental commitment to navigational safety and the protection of tens of thousands of containers. On a highly sophisticated mega-vessel, even the slightest safety lapse could ripple across transoceanic trade.

Recently, after extensive coordination and receiving special authorization, reporters from Southern Metropolis Daily was granted access to board the COSCO SHIPPING SPAIN berthed at YANTIAN. The rigor of boarding procedures stems not only from border control requirements, but more fundamentally from professional considerations of vessel safety, cargo security, and crew protection. Built in China, this super-sized container vessel is not just a floating steel fortress—it is a backbone of the trans-Pacific service linking China and the United States.

From those "who set sail from Shenzhen," we see not only tides and distant horizons, but also how Shenzhen, as a global hub, pulses with the vitality of China's economy.

1️⃣ The proud "YANTIAN efficiency": the hard power of a global hub

Under clear skies and gentle winds, standing before Berth # 13 at YANTIAN, one cannot help but feel awe looking up at the COSCO SHIPPING SPAIN calmly moored in an 18-metre-deep natural channel. Built in Shanghai and once crowned the world's largest container vessel, this deep-blue and crimson vessel stretches about 366 metres in length and over 51 metres in width—an imposing steel citadel at sea.

Captain Wang Liji serves as both the "CEO" and highest legal representative of the vessel. In his fifties with more than three decades at sea, he stands on the bridge in a crisp white uniform, his composed demeanour and gentle smile conveying quiet authority.

Outside the windows, YANTIAN's quay cranes operate in seamless rhythm.

"I come to YANTIAN about seven times a year. Its operational efficiency ranks among the best in the world," Captain Wang remarked. 

Compared with many ports globally, YANTIAN's advantages are unmistakable:
ideal deepwater conditions capable of accommodating the largest vessels, proximity to the manufacturing powerhouse of the Pearl River Delta, and direct global order delivery.

"This kind of 'China speed' rests not only on the modernisation of port facilities, but also on the diligence of Chinese workers," said Wang Liji. In some overseas ports, handling more than 3,000 containers can stretch over two days; at YANTIAN, however, the same operation can be completed in just over twenty hours.

Wang embarked on his maritime career in 1991, a year that marked a pivotal moment in China's deeper engagement with global trade and economic cooperation. He recalls the era of "starting from nothing": back then, he served on a 10,000-tonne general cargo vessel where quay infrastructure was rudimentary, and cargo often had to be lifted almost "like fishing" using the vessel’s own derricks and steel cables.

The scale of this physical transformation is something Wang has witnessed over three decades. Today, the giant beneath his feet can stack containers ten tiers high on deck—about 25 metres, equivalent to a ten-storey building. This leap also mirrors Shenzhen's own trajectory: in November 2026, the city will host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting as China's "third APEC city".

2️⃣ "China’s Smart Manufacturing" in the holds: from OEM processing to the "new three" going global

If the captain is the CEO, then Zhang Qige functions as the vessel's COO. Responsible for the most demanding tasks of stowage planning and cargo safety, he printed out a weighty manifest during the vessel's twenty-odd hours alongside, a document that quietly reveals the code of China's foreign trade shift.

"In the past, most containers were filled with OEM light industrial cargoes," Zhang said, pointing to the stacks below. "But now, lithium batteries and new-energy vehicles—the so-called 'new three'—are clearly increasing. On this voyage, YANTIAN alone loaded multiple specially regulated containers, the vast majority of which are electric vehicles or lithium batteries."

The shift is even more evident in the data: in the first eleven months of 2025, Shenzhen's vacuum cleaner exports reached CNY11.12 billion. Taking Guangdong-made robotic vacuum cleaners as an example, optimised services of YANTIAN mean that products can reach Europe around 35 days after leaving the factory.

This change is not merely industrial restructuring; it represents Shenzhen's ascent from a "manufacturing hub" to a "global source of innovation". Zhang has also observed a growing "Shenzhen flavour" in the North American market: popular self-balancing scooters and lawn mowers are largely produced in Shenzhen. This innovation rooted in everyday life once again testifies to the city's remarkable transformation.

3️⃣From high-frequency radio to 5G: What changes is communication, what remains is the accent of hometown

Life at sea is not only about grand narratives, but also about solitude and quiet romance.

On the windowsill of the captain's office sits a small green plant—a reminder of land, home, and longing. Captain Wang Liji recalled a perilous moment in 2000:

The waves tilted the ship by nearly 30 degrees, the main engine failed, and the lights in the engine room were swaying violently. Yet he had to remain composed, because the captain's calm is the crew's 'anchor of the mind.'

For Chief Officer Zhang Qige, romance once lived in the crackling high-frequency radio across the Pacific. On one voyage, he unexpectedly recognised the voice of his university roommate by his accent on an opposing course—an accidental reunion across ten thousand miles of waves that eased his loneliness.

Today, the vessel is equipped with free 5G connectivity, and seafarers are no longer cut off from the world.

Zhang remembers that when he joined the company in 2013, he could only send delayed emails, which often led to quarrels with his then-girlfriend (now his wife). Technology has leapt forward since then, yet the line "hearing Chinese over the radio meant you were closer to home" remains one of the softest chords in their hearts.

The engine room is the "heart" of the giant vessel. Chief Engineer Meng Canming works in oil-stained overalls and never removes his safety helmet. Inside the repair workshop of this vessel carrying tens of thousands of containers are lathes, welding machines, and other tools. When sailing across the central Pacific, if a part breaks and no spare is available, the engineers must become "master fitters", machining replacement components by hand.

This spirit of self-reliance at sea forms a remarkable counterpart to the highly coordinated land-sea operations at YANTIAN. Ashore, efficiency relies on advanced cranes and precise systems; at sea, it depends on this small workshop and skilled hands.

4️⃣Seeing the future APEC horizon from YANTIAN

As the COSCO SHIPPING SPAIN slowly cast off, she carried away 3,300 containers filled with "China’s Smart Manufacturing", leaving behind the ceaseless energy of Shenzhen.

From a 10,000-tonne general cargo vessel in 1991 to today's intelligent mega-vessel; from an obscure fishing village to China's soon-to-be spotlighted "third APEC city", Shenzhen has emerged as a free-trade pivot linking the Asia-Pacific—with YANTIAN at the heart of that transformation. In 2026, when APEC leaders gather in Shenzhen, they will see that this "southern science and technology centre" is defined not only by dazzling skylines, but also by the quiet dedication of seafarers and the powerful heartbeat that sustains global supply chains.

The giant vessel sets sail, waves rolling beneath her bow. From Shenzhen we depart, the journey unfinished, yet all of us sharing the same dream of the boundless sea and sky.