Three fast-track sea routes from the Mawan, Dachan Bay and Yantian ports to Hong Kong are officially inaugurated today to operate on a regular basis and ensure supplies to Hong Kong.

At 6:30 p.m., Feb. 21, a barge carrying 200 tons of vegetables, fruits and eggs in 26 TEUs (twenty equivalent unit), equivalent to 30 truckloads, left the Dachan Bay Port in western Shenzhen, and arrived at Hong Kong Modern Terminals at 11 p.m.

A container with goods supply is being loaded at the Dachan Bay Port on Feb. 21. Photos by Liu Yujie

The sea route from the Mawan Port to Tuen Mun Terminus will take about two to three hours, while the route from the Yantian Container Terminals to Hong Kong International Terminals takes about seven to eight hours.

The designated berths at the three ports can handle about 3,000 TEUs a day.

A barge loaded with 52 TEUs of life necessities left the Mawan Port early this morning for Tuen Mun Terminus. The barge, with a capacity equivalent to 28 truckloads, is loaded with sweaters, pyjamas, toothbrushes and slippers that Hong Kong people ordered online.

In the early morning of Feb. 21, four TEUs of vegetables, 51 tons in total, were delivered to Hong Kong and have been put in the Hong Kong market.

Customs staffers inspect vegetables to be shipped to Hong Kong in Shenzhen on Feb. 21.

Shenzhen YTAD Logistics Co. Ltd. is one of the companies that deploys barges to transport supplies to Hong Kong. The company sells fruits and vegetables to 200 outlets of Hong Kong Asia Food and Beverage Group Ltd.

“Our company is just a small company in the food supply chain to Hong Kong. Many logistics companies have opted for sea service for supplies to Hong Kong as the land transportation is limited,” said Liu Runlong, chairman of the company.

The key member enterprises under Shenzhen Rice Bag Vegetable Basket Federation have arranged vegetables and agricultural produce to ensure market supply in Hong Kong.

At present, ports in Shenzhen operate 134 shipping liners a week that call at Hong Kong ports. According to Dong Yanze, head of the Sea Navigation Department of Shenzhen Transport Bureau, the sea transportation is supplementary to land transportation and the bureau  will adjust shipment depending on the actual situation.