Longkou port in east China's Shandong Province is to launch two extra sea liner routes to Africa in the latter half of the year.

Shandong Provincial Bureau of Port Shipping Services said Longkou Port dispatched 41 cement and sundry goods ships to African nations in the past seven months, with cement exports totaling 970,000 tons, accounting for 30 percent of China's cement export total.

Sitting at the eastern side of Laizhou Bay, part of Bohai Sea, Longkou port has only 20 to 40 days of icing in a year and is capable of handling 5,000 deadweight tonnage ships.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2008)