A new combined port route linking Yantian Port and Zhongshan Port was officially put into operation Thursday, which is the first combined route in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that opened this year, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

The opening of the route will help foreign trade companies in Zhongshan and its surrounding cities cut logistics costs and save customs clearance time.

The total number of routes under the Shenzhen Customs’ Combined Port program has reached 28.