On 8 October 2026, China COSCO Shipping News reported that the container ship ZHONG CHUAN HAI YUN berthed at Dongguan Port's Phase 1 terminal on 7 October. The call marked the maiden voyage of the Dongguan Port to Laem Chabang direct container service, launched by Dongguan Port Group together with Zhonggu Logistics. The point-to-point service skips intermediate calls and transshipment, with about five days at sea. The first sailing was loaded with hardware, machinery and electrical equipment, finished paper, plastic products and building materials.
Local outlet Dongguan+ reported on 20 September that the line, named the China-Thailand Express, would run fortnightly to the Kerry terminal at Laem Chabang. It accepts general cargo as well as dangerous goods, reefers, flat racks and open-top containers, which suits electronics, machinery, food, building materials and cold-chain or oversized shipments. The September report planned a first departure on 1 October; the maiden call was reported on 7 October, so shippers should confirm the current schedule with the carrier.
Dongguan Port's Phase 1 terminal sits on the east bank of the Pearl River mouth, about half an hour from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with 10 Panamax quay cranes and a design capacity of 2.5 million TEU a year. Feeder and multimodal links bring cargo in from Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Yunfu and Qingyuan, as well as Qinzhou, Zhanjiang, Haikou, Yangpu, Xiamen and Chongqing. Return sailings can carry Thai agricultural and cold-chain goods into the Pearl River Delta.
The new line adds to other near-sea routes Dongguan opened this year, including services to Cua Lo (about 2.5 days) and Da Nang (about 5 days) in Vietnam in January, and a weekly Dongguan to Ho Chi Minh City and Laem Chabang service in February. Dongguan+ said a fixed direct schedule makes production planning, booking and arrival times easier to estimate for exporters whose Thailand cargo previously moved via other ports.