On 19 December, 2008, YICT welcomed the COSCO Oceania, a container vessel deployed by COSCO for direct cross-strait shipping. The 10,020-TEU vessel departed from Kaoshiung on 18 December and arrived at Yantian 14 hours later. It then continued on to its next stop only eight hours later.
Yantian is among the 74 ports and river facilities opened for direct shipping between China and Taiwan according to an agreement signed between governments on both sides of the strait on 4 November 2008.