At 14:26 on March 25th, accompanied by a loud whistle, the Cape-sized vessel "Water Sprite", fully loaded with engineering equipment, slowly left Berth 18 of Rizhao Port and embarked on its maiden voyage to Boffa Port in Guinea, West Africa. This move marks the departure of the liner route from China to West Africa jointly created by Shandong Dawn International Logistics Co., Ltd. (hereby referred to as Dawn International Logistics). and Xiangyu Group, opening up a new and efficient logistics channel for "Made in China" products going global and for economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa.
 
As a breakthrough attempt by Dawn International Logistics in the field of ocean shipping, this route relies on the advantage of the large cargo hold capacity of Cape-sized vessels to meet the transportation needs of bulk goods and oversized equipment. It is reported that the "Water Sprite" on this voyage loaded a total of 20,800 cubic meters of large mechanical equipment such as excavators, engineering vehicles, and heavy trucks, serving large domestic engineering enterprises in expanding into the West African market.
To ensure a smooth maiden voyage, Dawn International Logistics joined hands with the 3rd Branch of Rizhao Port Group Co., Ltd. to launch the "green channel" mechanism, enabling the vessel to berth preferentially and ensuring the rapid turnover of goods. Liu Cunjie, the director of Dawn International Logistics, led the team to comprehensively coordinate with the port, the shipowner, the lashing company, etc. to formulate a refined unloading plan. Through measures such as 24-hour shift duty and full-process supervision of loading and unloading, both operational safety and efficiency were guaranteed.
  
Our launch of the direct route to West Africa is an important milestone for Dawn in its journey to the open ocean," said Han Yongwei, General Manager of Dawn International Logistics. In the next two to three years, the company plans to invest a shipping capacity of 300,000 to 1 million tons, deeply serving the overseas mineral transportation of central state-owned enterprises, and exploring a new international shipping territory. This is of great significance for improving the transportation efficiency of bulk commodities in regions such as from China to West Africa and Central and South America.
 

Accelerating the internationalization of the logistics market empowers Dawn's global industrial layout. On the day of the maiden voyage, Xie Yuntao, Vice President of Dawn Group, led a team to Company Three of Rizhao Port and reached multiple cooperation intentions regarding the regular operation of African liners and the transportation of bulk commodities in Central and South America. The two sides will work together to build a full-chain service system of "port + logistics + trade" and create a new pattern of mutually beneficial, win-win, and coordinated development between the port and the shipping industry.