The Qiongzhou Strait has recorded all-time highs in daily ferry sailings and large vehicle transportation since the start of this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the first since the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), according to transport authorities.
According to the Pearl River Navigation Administration under the Ministry of Transport, roll-on and roll-off ferry services in the strait reached 338 sailings on Tuesday, exceeding the previous Spring Festival record of 337.
Linking South China's island province of Hainan with Guangdong Province on the mainland, the strait witnessed a total of 4,516 coaches and trucks entering Hainan from Guangdong on Wednesday, and 8,538 coaches and trucks traveling to and out of the island, both setting new records, data from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Transport showed.
This year's Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, runs from Feb 2 to March 13. Official estimates indicate that inter-regional passenger trips during the period are projected to reach 9.5 billion, a record high.
The strait is expected to handle more than 4.66 million passenger trips and over 1.17 million vehicle crossings, representing year-on-year increases of 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Qiongzhou Strait sees new records in transport
