The Qiongzhou Strait has recorded 3.43 million vehicle crossings, an increase of 9.21 percent year-on-year, since the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), data from the Hainan Provincial Department of Transport showed.
In the six months after China's southern island province of Hainan launched its island-wide customs closure, local authorities have implemented targeted measures and comprehensive improvements focused on "increasing transport capacity, enhancing efficiency, and optimizing services."
Hainan successfully completed transportation guarantee tasks for major holidays including the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, Qingming Festival holiday, and May Day holiday, with notable improvements in traffic efficiency and overall passenger travel experience. "We made a reservation online. As soon as we arrived at the port, we went straight in, bought our tickets and boarded the ferry right away. It was very convenient and fast," said a truck driver. Linking South China's island province of Hainan with Guangdong Province on the mainland, the strait handled 11.23 million passenger trips over the past six months since the customs closure, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent.
"In the short term, we have put two new specialized flatbed barges for new energy vehicles into regular operation, dedicated to meeting the transportation needs of such vehicles for crossing the sea. In the medium to long term, [we] have initiated the construction of two new roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) vessels to continuously expand our transport capacity," said Huang Peng, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Transportation Department.
On Dec 18, 2025, the entire island, covering more than 30,000 square kilometers, was designated a special customs zone.
China's Qiongzhou Strait handles 3.43 million vehicle crossings under Hainan FTP special customs operations
