Yantian Port has recently introduced a new one-stop inland waterway cargo transfer service that significantly enhances export efficiency for businesses.

On July 20, a container loaded with 480 TCL air conditioners arrived at the port from Zhongshan Port via an inland waterway. Overseen by officers from Dapeng Customs, the container was loaded onto the OOCL Wisdom and set sail for Poland. This marked the first export shipment completed under Yantian Port's new multimodal customs clearance model.

As the world's largest container terminal by single-site throughput, Yantian Port operates 16 feeder routes that connect to ports across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as southwestern and central China. This extensive network provides efficient transshipment services for over 100 international shipping routes each week.

Previously, goods transiting through inland river terminals required customs clearance procedures at multiple stops along the way, creating administrative hurdles for freight companies and slowing down the entire process.

Under the new model, freight operators are now only required to submit a single multimodal cargo manifest and customs declaration to cover the entire journey. The system supports mid-route cargo transfers and changes in logistics routing.

Deng Xiaopeng, an official from Shenzhen Customs' Port Clearance Supervision Division, explained that the new service enables seamless information sharing across different customs districts for intermodal logistics, greatly improving both the efficiency and flexibility of import and export shipping.

To ensure the smooth rollout of the new service, Shenzhen Customs has established a 24-hour response channel that enables real-time tracking of the entire process — from cargo declaration and transshipment to vessel loading and departure.

Wu Chaojia, customs affairs manager at TCL Air Conditioner (Zhongshan) Co., Ltd., shared: "With this new service, we can adjust production capacity more flexibly. Even during peak seasons, we can respond to customer orders accurately and quickly, which has given us a competitive edge in the European market."

Caption: Officers from Dapeng Customs oversee the container loaded with TCL air conditioners being transferred from a barge to the OOCL Wisdom at Yantian Port on July 20.