SHIJIAZHUANG - Huanghua Port in northern Hebei province has become China's largest port for coal transportation, according to a press conference Thursday.

The throughput of the port reached 204 million tons in the first 10 months of the year, a year-on-year growth of 49 percent, Zhao Zhenqing, chairman of the Cangzhou Port Group told the press conference.

With total investment of more than 60 billion yuan ($8.7 billion), a sea channel capable of taking 200,000-ton ships, with 33 berths for ships weighing more than 10,000-tons, has been built at the port.

The port launched its first freight train bound for Duisburg, Germany, in June. It also opened its first international direct flight to Southeast Asia in September. So far over 20 ship companies have opened 13 container shipping lines starting from the port.

The rapid development of the port will support the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional integration and the Belt and Road Initiative, said Zhang Guodong, director of the administration for Bohai New Area in Cangzhou City.