Recently, 20 containers of photovoltaic glass completed the entire customs clearance process of declaration, entry into the customs supervision zone, inspection, and release at the Chenzhou Land Port Customs Supervision Area in Hunan Province. The goods were then directly shipped to Tuticorin Port in India via the Hunan-Guangdong-Africa rail-sea intermodal transport service. This marked Chenzhou's first successful implementation of a cross-customs district supervision model featuring "rail-sea intermodal transport, direct port loading + non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC)" for cargo declaration and release. The initiative innovates a more efficient and convenient way for foreign trade enterprises in China's inland regions to access international markets.

The new model serves as Chenzhou Land Port's eighth through bill of lading route. By selecting international NVOCCs with proven expertise in global shipping routes to participate in the pilot program, the initiative coordinates resources across the entire logistics chain, including road freight, port storage, and ocean freight booking. Acting as the central hub, these NVOCCs handle export consignments from enterprises and integrate shipping space information from multiple shipping lines, establishing a "one-stop" service system. These efforts transform the previous passive situation where enterprises had to coordinate with multiple parties and deal with fragmented information.

This model leverages a customs clearance mechanism featuring "single declaration, single inspection, single release," enabling export enterprises to complete all customs procedures at their doorstep. Exported goods are transported directly by rail from the Chenzhou Land Port to the Guangzhou Nansha Port for shipment, with no need of customs declaration at the coastal port. Upon arrival at the coastal port, these goods are loaded directly onto vessels for departure. Compared to traditional methods, the new model saves more than 24 hours of port storage time, effectively resolving previous issues such as complicated procedures for cross-customs district affairs, redundant logistics processes, and high overall costs.

The multimodal transport capabilities of the Chenzhou Land Port have been further enhanced through the innovative approach. The "NVOCC + through bill of lading" model can now be applied to other categories of imported and exported cargoes such as non-ferrous metals and construction machinery. This will help promote Hunan and Chenzhou products to global markets, significantly amplifying the leading role of the Chenzhou Land Port as the hub of opening-up in southern Hunan.

Container cargo for shipment at the Chenzhou Land Port. (Photo provided by the Beihu District)

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews