As the main exit points for trucks traveling from south China's Hainan Province to the mainland, the Xinhai and Nangang "second-tier ports" in the tropical province are ramping up their efficiency in cargo clearance and transportation as the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) is set to launch island-wide special customs operations starting on December 18.
The special customs operations will increase the proportion of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP from 21 percent to 74 percent, while further opening up the local tourism, modern services, and high technology.
The Xinhai and Nangang are two of the ten "second-tier ports" for cargo entry into the mainland. To facilitate rapid port clearance and ship loading, trucks leaving the island are required to make advance reservations via a mobile applet. Truck drivers can register ahead of time to streamline the process.
To further shorten clearance times, intelligent appointment and inspection systems at the inspection sites utilize smart recognition devices that automatically identify vehicles and link them to their reservation details. These systems then guide trucks into designated lanes and zones. During the previous trial operations, this smart approach significantly reduces the entire customs clearance duration.
"For cargo leaving the island from second-tier ports, their customs declaration must be completed in advance through the 'single window,'" said Li Huateng, deputy director of the Haikou Port Customs Office.
After the customs declaration, trucks will proceed to centralized inspection zones. In the customs imaging and inspection room, officials use a smart supervision platform to examine the cargo.
"It's like the principle of X-ray scanning. The scan takes about two minutes, generating an image immediately," said Qian Lingyong, deputy section chief of the Haikou Port Customs' imaging inspection section.
If no abnormalities are detected, the trucks will be cleared for departure. If issues are found, the cargo will undergo manual inspection at designated checkpoints while confirmed problems will lead to the vehicle being rerouted to a temporary storage warehouse for further investigation.
"The entire inspection area is linked to the Xinhai and Nangang ports via a 3.2-kilometer enclosed and dedicated corridor. This not only breaks through the original spatial limitations of the port zone but also provides ample space for large-scale cargo flow after the special customs operations begins, with sufficient room reserved for future development," said Chen Jiarui, technical lead of the second-tier port cargo inspection site under China Railway Guangzhou Group.
Second-tier ports ramp up efficiency for free trade port's special customs operations
Second-tier ports ramp up efficiency for free trade port's special customs operations
