Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port sees sharp surge in vehicle crossings during May Day holiday

The total number of vehicles passing through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge's Zhuhai port exceeded 120,000 during the five-day May Day holiday from May 1 to 5, a sharp year-on-year increase of 44 percent, according to customs data.

According to the data released by the customs office on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the peak traffic volume through the port during the May Day holiday came at 15:00 to 19:00 on Monday. The daily number of vehicles passing through the port exceeded 28,000 on the day, a year-on-year increase of 50 percent, once again setting a new record for the port.

As of Monday, the total number of single-license plate vehicles from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions that have passed through the port this year has exceeded 1.3 million, an increase of 34 percent over the same period of last year. Self-driving tours to cities around Guangdong Province and cross-border family visits by Hong Kong and Macao residents have become the main driving force for the growth of traffic through the mega bridge.

"I come back from time to time and go through the port each time. Sometimes we go to Zhuhai to have dishes. This time we are passing through the port for a trip to cities of Guangzhou, Zhaoqing and Dongguan," said a resident from Hong Kong.

In order to ensure smooth and orderly customs clearance during the holiday, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Customs has strengthened coordination and collaboration with various other ports and the relevant departments in Hong Kong and Macao to improve customs clearance service.

"At present, the customs clearance time for vehicles with no abnormality and no need for inspection does not exceed 10 seconds. We have built the country's first intelligent top-lighting image review system for passenger cars, which shortens the vehicle inspection time by about 30 percent," said Feng Wenjun, chief of the No.1 supervision section of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Customs Office.

Stretching more than 55 kilometers, the bridge links Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the Macao SAR and the city of Zhuhai in Guangdong Province. It is the world's longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port sees sharp surge in vehicle crossings during May Day holiday

The spillover effects of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East are having a noticeable impact as far afield as Peru, a country highly reliant on energy imports, with the costs of transportation and daily supplies all climbing due to the hike in fuel prices.

Global oil prices have been rising as a result of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli-Iran conflict and concerns over the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz -- a vital passageway that typically carries about one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade.

Prices in Peru have also been worsened in the country after a natural gas pipeline explosion in the Cusco Province last month, which caused a significant gas supply shortage.

At present, the prices of gasoline and diesel in Peru have doubled since the start of the conflict in late February, forcing companies to raise the costs of passenger and freight transportation to offset their losses.

Many are concerned that this will have a considerable knock-on effect which could hamper economic activities and ultimately harm the wallets of local residents who are being forced to pay the price.

"What's the worst is that transportation will affect all activities throughout the economy, including the passenger sector, both intra-city and inter-provincial," said Martin Ojeda, the leader of a transportation workers' union.

"Everything has become more expensive. Both daily necessities and transportation are all very expensive," said a local vendor in the capital Lima.

"Previously, a roast chicken cost me about 45 soles (12.8 U.S. dollars), but now it has risen to 60 soles (over 17 U.S. dollars). This doesn't fit my financial situation, so I have to give up a lot of consumption. People like me who live on pensions are greatly affected," said another resident.

Meanwhile, the prices of fertilizers like urea have risen by around 16 percent over the past month as a result of the conflict, with the Middle East being a major global supplier of fertilizers, as these spiraling costs are also affecting food production and animal husbandry in Peru.

Transportation, living costs rise in Peru as conflict rages on in Middle East