Containers are loaded onto a ship at the Haixiang wharf, part of Xiamen port's Xiang'an area, bound for Tangshan port. [Photo/xmnn.cn]

The first direct container shipping route between Tangshan and Xiamen ports was launched as a ship loaded with containers sailed from Xiamen on May 7.

Vessels will depart from Haixiang wharf, part of Xiamen port's Xiang'an area, every five days.

The container shipping route for domestic trade is the first one in Xiang'an port area, indicating that the port area is now a significant part of the Xiamen International Shipping Center.

Xiang'an port is capable for 18 deepwater berths with a designed annual through capacity of 56 million tons, according to the Xiamen Port Authority.

To date, seven berths have been erected in the port area, three of which have come into service.

In the first four months of this year, Xiamen port delivered more than 3 million containers, an increase of 10.92 percent year-on-year.

Tangshan port is one of the fastest growing ports in the world and is among the 10 largest in China.