On September 23, the signing ceremony for the Shenzhen Port International Green Shipping Corridor Cooperation Initiative between YANTIAN and the Port of Felixstowe was held in Shenzhen. The ceremony was attended by Jia Liwei, Deputy Director General of the Transportation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Huang Huaishen, Level II Bureau Rank Official of the Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration, and Devin Zhong, General Manager of Port and Shipping Business Department, who witnessed the signing. Also in attendance were Guo Jing, Director General of the Yantian Maritime Safety Administration, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, Managing Director of Europe, and CEO of Hutchison Ports UK and the Port of Felixstowe, and Lawrence Shum, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, who delivered remarks.

At the ceremony, YANTIAN and the Port of Felixstowe officially signed the Shenzhen Port International Green Shipping Corridor Cooperation Initiative, marking the expansion of Shenzhen Port's green shipping cooperation network into a key European hub. This milestone injects fresh momentum into China-Europe collaboration to accelerate the global shipping industry's transition to a low-carbon future.

Second row: Jia Liwei, Deputy Director General of the Transportation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality (middle), Huang Huaishen, Level II Bureau Rank Official of the Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration (second from the right), Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports (second from the left), Lawrence Shum, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN (first from the right), and Devin Zhong, General Manager of Port and Shipping Business Department, Shenzhen Port Group (first from the left)

In the presence of the attending officials and guests, Neville Lam, Commercial Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, and Simon Mullett, CFO of the Port of Felixstowe, signed the agreement on behalf of the two parties. Building on this milestone, the two ports will deepen their regular exchanges and strengthen collaboration, working together to explore innovative approaches to green port transformation and the development of a low-carbon global supply chain.

From APEC to Europe: Expanding the Green Shipping Network
📃Key Progress

On September 22, the 2026 Global Sustainable Transport Forum was held in Beijing, where the International Green Shipping Corridor Alliance was officially launched as one of the forum's key outcomes. The Alliance's founding membership comprises 45 leading companies from 12 countries, including YANTIAN. Just one day after the Beijing forum, YANTIAN took another concrete step towards advancing the international green shipping agenda with the signing ceremony in Shenzhen, translating shared ambitions into practical cooperation.

The Alliance's inaugural member assembly was also held recently in Beijing. Li Xinghu, Vice Minister of Transport, attended the meeting and delivered a speech (eighth from the left in the front row). Fu Xuyin, former Vice Minister of Transport, was elected the Alliance's first Chair of the Board. As a founding member, YANTIAN was represented at the meeting by Lawrence Shum (third from the left in the second row). Photo credit: China Transportation News

The foundations for this collaboration were laid in July this year at the 2026 Shenzhen Port Global Supply Chain High-Quality Development Conference. At the event, YANTIAN signed the MoU of the APEC Sister Port Cooperation with 16 ports from 10 APEC economies. It also joined the Transportation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration, Shenzhen Port Group, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in jointly launching the Shenzhen Port International Green Shipping Corridor Cooperation Initiative.

Pictured from left to right: Lawrence Shum, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, Hu Zhaoyang, Party Secretary and Chairman of Shenzhen Port Group, Eric Ip, Group Managing Director of Hutchison Ports and Chairman of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN; Jia Liwei, Deputy Director General of the Transportation Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Guo Xiubin, Deputy Director and Level I Bureau Rank Official of the Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration, Michael DiBernardo, Deputy Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, and Roger Wu, Director of Business Development at the Port of Long Beach

The strategic partnership with the Port of Felixstowe, one of Europe's leading hub ports, marks a significant milestone in YANTIAN's evolution from regional cooperation across the Asia-Pacific to a global partnership network. It extends Shenzhen Port's green shipping cooperation network from the Asia-Pacific into Europe. Building on the two ports' established shipping links and proven operational capabilities, YANTIAN will continue to leverage its role as an international shipping hub to deepen practical cooperation between China and Europe in green and low-carbon development, smart port development and sustainable supply chain transformation, further expanding Shenzhen Port's global green shipping network.

South China's Foreign Trade Gateway × The UK's Largest Container Port
🤝A Powerful Partnership

In her remarks, Guo Jing, Director General of the Yantian Maritime Safety Administration, said: "The Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration has provided comprehensive support for the development of the YANTIAN–Felixstowe Green Shipping Corridor. This includes strengthening marine clean-fuel bunkering capabilities, advancing regular LNG bunkering and pilot ship-to-ship green methanol bunkering, and exploring evaluation standards for the corridor. With two established hub ports at its core and underpinned by busy, reliable Asia-Europe shipping services, the partnership between YANTIAN and Felixstowe will turn the Green Shipping Corridor from a shared commitment into commercial practice, creating a new link for advancing China-UK trade and economic cooperation towards a greener future."

Lawrence Shum, Managing Director of Hutchison Ports YANTIAN, said: "I have just returned from Beijing, where I attended the inaugural member assembly of the International Green Shipping Corridor Alliance. As a founding member, YANTIAN is keenly aware of the responsibility this role entails. The Alliance was established to advance sustainable shipping, support the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind. Today's signing is another concrete step towards advancing the coordinated development of international green shipping corridors and deepening collaboration among all stakeholders."

Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, said the signing marked a significant step forward in the partnership between the two ports, ushering in a new phase of cooperation. Moving beyond traditional shipping connectivity, the two sides will focus on green collaboration, joint standards development, and coordinated implementation to deliver shared outcomes.

Growth Without More Carbon Meets the 2035 Net-Zero Goal
♻️The Green Credentials of Two Major Hub Ports

YANTIAN and the Port of Felixstowe are both vital hubs in global supply chains, with a longstanding commitment to green port development and a shared vision for low-carbon growth.

As a key gateway for South China's foreign trade, YANTIAN continues to expand shore power coverage, electrify port equipment, transition to cleaner energy sources, and accelerate smart port development. Over the past decade, YANTIAN has reduced carbon emissions per container by 32% while steadily increasing throughput, demonstrating that growth need not come at the cost of higher emissions. All berths are now equipped with shore power facilities, while the port continues to expand the use of cleaner fuels, including LNG and green methanol. The Port of Felixstowe, the UK's largest and busiest container port, handles nearly 40% of the country's container trade. It has set a target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and is advancing equipment electrification, renewable energy adoption, and the deployment of intelligent transport systems.

Looking ahead, YANTIAN and the Port of Felixstowe will deepen cooperation across a broad range of areas, working to standardise emissions reduction pathways, track progress transparently, and verify results. By engaging government authorities in China and the UK, alongside partners throughout their respective industrial chains, the two ports will help translate the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into action and establish a model Asia-Europe green shipping corridor with global significance.

More Than 100 Shipping Services Every Week, Including 53 Connecting APEC Economies
🌎APEC China Year

2026 marks the APEC China Year. Since the beginning of the year, YANTIAN has added 11 shipping services connecting APEC economies. It now has more than 100 global shipping services every week, including 53 linking it with APEC economies.

Lawrence Shum said: "YANTIAN has always remained true to its founding vision: anchored in YANTIAN, partnering Shenzhen and Hong Kong, extending services throughout China, and connecting across the globe. In line with the core themes of APEC China Year, namely openness, innovation, and cooperation, we will leverage the International Green Shipping Corridor Alliance as a platform for global collaboration and continue to work with customers and partners worldwide to build industrial and supply chains that are more efficient, smarter, greener, and more resilient. Together, we will transform supply chains into value chains that create shared benefits."