TIANJIN -- North China's Tianjin Port has launched a new direct shipping route to facilitate cherry imports from Chile, marking the first direct shipping service for Latin American cherries to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, said the port authorities.

A container vessel loaded with over 2,000 tonnes of Chilean cherries arrived at Tianjin Port on Tuesday evening, marking the maiden trip via the new service.

Another two ships carrying over 5,800 tonnes of cherries and other seasonal products are expected to dock at the port within the next seven days.

Chilean cherries are increasingly favored by Chinese consumers over the years. "Over 1,840 tonnes of cherries that we imported this time have already been pre-sold," said Wei Shujian, president of Hebei Sunhola Group, one of the Chilean cherry importers.

Previously, cherries sold in northern China were mainly transported via highways after the goods entered China through ports in the south or via air services, making the overall logistics cost relatively high.

Thanks to the new route, the cherries are expected to reach the fruit and vegetable wholesale markets in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei first. According to Pagoda, a fruit retailing company, its outlets in the region are estimated to see the overall price of the cherries drop by 50 to 70 percent thanks to the new logistics option.