A smart container terminal at Tianjin Port in North China’s Tianjin on Jan 17, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

TIANJIN — North China’s Tianjin Port handled approximately 4.63 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in the first three months of 2022, up 3.5 percent year-on-year.

The throughput figure marks a record high for the port compared to the same period in previous years, according to the port’s operator.

Despite negative impacts brought by the COVID-19 resurgence, the port has rolled out a series of prevention and control measures to safeguard smooth operation.

Meanwhile, it also launched a new direct sea route to Australia and new sea-rail transport services this year.

Ports are a barometer of economic development. Tianjin Port on the coast of the Bohai Sea is a pivotal shipping outlet for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The port in the Tianjin municipality currently has more than 133 cargo routes, extending trade ties with more than 800 ports in over 200 countries and regions.