
A journey of 35 days that crossed 21,112 km with two large locomotives built by the Chinese group CRRC for the Dapilon-Santou railway line was landed on 8th May’20 at the Guinean port of Boké, initiated the departure from the Chinese port of Yantai in Shandong province.

The internal combustion diesel locomotives measure 22 meters long, 3.3 meters wide and 4.1 meters high and weighs 150 tonnes each. The mission thus established a new Chinese national record for bulk maritime transport between Yantai and West Africa in terms of length of journey and tonnage of cargo.
The Papillon-Santou line links the port of Boké to bauxite mines in eastern Guinea. It will greatly contribute to enhancing the transit capacity of the port after it enters into service.
The port of Yantai is the largest bauxite transit port in China. In 2014, the port joined a coalition created to operate bauxite mines in Guinea, and to this end launched a shipping line of 11,400 nautical miles to ensure profitability and ease of bulk transport between the two ports.
The line has now become an important part of the Asia-Africa Maritime Silk Road and has greatly contributed to trade between China and Africa as well as to the development of the Chinese and Guinean bauxite industries.
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