Beibu Gulf Port streamlines procedures to achieve optimal transit efficiency

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beibu Gulf Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has innovated its operation system to improve shipment efficiency and facilitate transfer process between port and railway transportation systems.

A batch of lithium battery energy storage cabinets were recently loaded onto a Dutch ship at berth No. 2 of Dalanping south operation area of Qinzhou Port, a part of Beibu Gulf Port, which is the first time that Beibu Gulf has realized the bulk shipment of lithium battery energy storage cabinets for export.

Since the beginning of this year, Beibu Gulf Port has actively coordinated resources to resolve bottlenecks. In the loading and unloading operations, it endeavored to solve the problems of small loading volume of each container export shipment and difficulty in booking shipping space.

"Now the export of the 'new trio' (electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products) from Beibu Gulf Port is growing rapidly, with large cargo volumes and high values, and some of the goods are included in the nine categories of dangerous goods. All these factors have put high requirements on the service capabilities of port enterprises," said Song Haitao, manager of Beibu Gulf Port Qinzhou Bonded Port Area Shenggang Terminal Co., Ltd.

Facilities, like bridge crane and rail cranes, and unmanned transport vehicles at the Beibu Gulf Port Qinzhou automated container terminal can be accessed with one click in its remote control room.

As the world's first automated terminal to adopt a U-shaped layout, the terminal has innovated operation mode to isolate container trucks from outside the port and unmanned transport vehicles in the port, which has improved the safety of different kinds of vehicles running at the terminal and the efficiency of container stacking.

Guangxi is connected to ASEAN countries by land and sea and has a natural port good for shipment, but it once faced with the embarrassment of shorter shipping distance but longer shipping time and higher costs due to poor operation.

While improving efficiency with technological innovation, Guangxi has conducted an in-depth mechanism reform in wider range, to stimulate the vitality of the sea-rail intermodal transportation of Beibu Gulf Port.

Guangxi issued several documents on the integrated construction and operation of Beibu Gulf Port sea-rail intermodal transportation in 2023, which has vigorously improved efficiency through measures such as spatial integration, policy coordination and information sharing.

The first step of operation was to remove the separation wall that had existed for many years between the railway center station and the port area and put the two units under the administration of the customs.

Along with physical segregation, data barriers between multiple departments were also removed to simplify the transfer process of sea-rail intermodal transportation.

"We used to have to go through two gates and made a detour of two kilometers to pick up containers. Now, after the gates were removed, we can save about 20 minutes," said Pang Daying, a driver of Qinzhou North Port Supply Chain Co., Ltd.

"Beibu Gulf Port was the first in China to achieve real-time connection between ports and railway stations, which has increased the container transfer efficiency between ports and railway by about 50 percent," said Song.

At present, the sea-rail intermodal train of the new western land-sea corridor have radiated more than 70 cities and over 150 railway stations in 18 domestic provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, reaching more than 500 ports in over 120 countries and regions.

In the first half of this year, more than 276,000 TEUs of goods were shipped through Beibu Gulf Port on the new western land-sea corridor, up 22.4 percent.

Beibu Gulf Port streamlines procedures to achieve optimal transit efficiency

After more than three months at sea, members of China's 16th Arctic Ocean expedition have jointly created a painting that captures both the triumphs and trials of polar scientific research.

Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the expedition deployed four ships, Xuelong, Xuelong 2, Jidi, and Tansuo 3, to study extreme environmental changes in the Arctic against the backdrop of accelerating global warming. On September 29, Xuelong and Xuelong 2 returned to Shanghai after completing their missions.

During the voyage, China Media Group (CMG) reporters aboard Xuelong invited nearly 100 crew members to collaborate on a canvas, sharing their experiences. The painting depicts the difficulties and challenges they faced, the honors and expectations of their research, and the images of those dedicated to science.

Before any crew member ever picked up a brush, the Arctic had already sketched the background with its extreme weather. Strong winds, torrents, and a harsh environment posed major challenges for the researchers.

"After staying outside for some five or ten minutes, our hands would already be frozen red. When we reached the trough of the waves [on a boat], it would look as if the waves were coming right over our heads," recalled Zhu Chengwei, an expedition member.

Despite the hardship, the researchers successfully tested and used domestically produced advanced ocean observation equipment in polar research -- one of their proudest moments, which they recorded on the canvas.

Qin Chuan, captain of the Xuelong ocean team, chose to paint a domestically produced monitor float.

"This is an Argo float we deployed, which automatically monitors ocean profiles. It has great significance for understanding the basic marine environment, and it's made in China," he said.

Xie Haixiang, director of the Xuelong laboratory, sketched a fundamental research equipment for the trip.

"I will draw a CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth instrument). The CTD is the most important equipment for ocean surveys, providing the most basic data and water samples," he said.

"Only by carrying equipment onto the Arctic sea ice yourself and lowering the instruments, can you get what you want. For instance, we take a little ocean water, and analyze what's in it, to understand the changes each year. Global warming needs to be understood through different dimensions," recalled researcher Zhu.

Beyond the canvas, what stands out even more striking are the moments of dedication: veteran members leading newcomers onto the ice, a group holding its ground in level-8 gales and heavy snow, and 30 people relaying to recover equipment stuck in the ice.

The most important element, beyond any record or image in the painting, is this group of expedition members who fear no hardship.

"Whenever I think of the polar spirit, countless images of those standing at the very front would flash before my eyes," Zhu said.

"What we have done today will benefit future generations. Although we are doing something that may seem very insignificant, I believe it will surely prove its worth in the future,"said Ning Wenfeng, another team member.

China's 16th Arctic expedition crews paint portrait of proud polar expedition moments, hardships