China Communications News reported that on 11 November 2026 the vessel Lingzhi began loading at Shandong Port Group's Rizhao container terminal, formally opening the Rizhao-Incheon container liner service. The service is operated by Shandong Ocean Shipping Group and runs with no intermediate calls, twice a week and about eight sailings a month.
The sea distance is about 400 nautical miles and one-way transit is no more than 24 hours, so cargo can reach the Seoul metropolitan area the next day, the newspaper said. Rizhao's container terminal and the Sunkwang terminal at Incheon New Port both offer fixed berthing windows, faster stevedoring and quicker box pickup. The service also offers an hour-level (小时达) product aimed at high-turnover cargo such as cross-border e-commerce, machinery and auto products, with a stable schedule and controlled space.
Rizhao Port can also connect the new loop to inland China through the Wari (Watang-Rizhao) and Xinhe-Yanzhou-Rizhao railways, both of which run about 1,000 km into the port area, allowing cargo from central and western China and the Yellow River hinterland to move by rail to Rizhao and then by sea to Korea. Linyi Mall Group deputy general manager Fu Haibin said the service fills a near-sea shipping gap for Linyi traders by sending cargo directly to a core Japan-Korea port and cutting transit time and transshipment cost.
Shandong Ocean Shipping operates more than 70 vessels and 44 container services, and already runs 15 weekly sailings to major Korean ports. Once the Rizhao-Incheon loop is added, it will complement the existing Rizhao-Pyeongtaek passenger-container service, bringing Rizhao's Korea sailings to seven a week in total, the report said. At the inaugural ceremony, Shandong Ocean Shipping, Linyi Mall Group and Rizhao Port signed a cooperation framework. A separate four-party agreement brought in Shandong Hi-Speed Qiluhao, Oriental Co. (东方株式会社) and PTC Holdings Logistics Group around sea-rail links between the Korean market and a Central Asian hinterland. Actual space and cutoffs should still be confirmed booking by booking.