High Quality Development Research Tour | Witnessing the Economic Vitality of the Greater Bay Area at the Smart Port - Visiting Nansha Port in Guangzhou and Seeing the Port Area | Wharf | Vitality
When it comes to ports, what comes to mind? Workers wearing safety helmets are operating cranes, while trucks are queuing up to enter the port for loading. At a port at the mouth of the the Pearl River, the situation is quite different.
A 10000 ton cargo ship docked at the dock, with huge bridge cranes roaring back and forth, accurately grabbing various containers and placing them on guiding vehicles... The work area was bustling with activity.
This is the fully automated terminal of Phase IV in Nansha Port Area of Guangzhou Port, and also the first newly built automated terminal in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.
The picture shows the Nansha Port area of Guangzhou Port. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Ying
"As a new generation of smart ports, intelligent vehicle scheduling, automated loading and unloading, unmanned transportation, and intelligent cargo handling have truly achieved full automation," said Song Xiaoming, Deputy General Manager of Guangzhou Port Group Co., Ltd.
Nansha Port is one of the main port areas of Guangzhou Port, with a dedicated container terminal in phases 1234. Last year, the total container throughput exceeded 18 million TEUs. The fourth phase of the Nansha Port project is one of the smart port benchmark projects, with four 100000 ton seagoing ship berths and supporting container barge berths, and a designed annual throughput capacity of 4.9 million TEUs.
"The informatization and intelligent control of various links in dock production operations are achieved. Information is integrated in advance, and seamless connection is achieved after goods arrive, greatly improving the overall efficiency of dock operations," said Song Xiaoming.
Ports are important hubs connecting domestic and international markets. The busy Nansha Port not only witnesses its high-quality transformation towards intelligent automation, but also the vitality of economic development in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area.
The picture shows the Nansha Port area of Guangzhou Port. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Ying
Since the beginning of this year, the import and export of automobiles, especially new energy vehicles, in Nansha Port has been increasing. According to data from Nansha Customs, the export volume of new energy vehicles at Nansha Automobile Port increased 12 times year-on-year in the first four months of this year.
In 2022, the import volume of cold chain goods at Nansha Port exceeded 20 billion yuan, an increase of over 70%. At present, it is the peak season for durian imports. In the first five months of this year, over 5700 TEUs of durian have entered the domestic market through Nansha Port.
According to Chen Xi, Deputy Director of Nansha Customs, fresh durians can arrive at Nansha Port in just 4 days from Linchaban Port in Thailand, while unloading from the dock and transporting them to the largest fruit wholesale market in South China only takes 1.5 hours at the fastest.
To ensure the 6-hour release requirement for fresh and perishable products under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, Nansha Customs has promoted measures such as early declaration, shipside direct delivery, and intelligent drawing review at Nansha Port, greatly improving the clearance efficiency of fresh goods. The Nansha Cold Chain Logistics Distribution Center, with a total storage capacity of 227000 tons, also provides a guarantee for the continuous cooling of fresh goods throughout the entire chain from inspection to storage.
On June 2nd, RCEP came into full effect for 15 signatory countries, entering a new phase of comprehensive implementation. Taking automotive parts as an example, after the full implementation of RCEP, some enterprises can enjoy tariff reduction and exemption for automotive coil steel and other goods declared for import from Nansha Port.
Chen Xi said that last year, the declared value of imported goods under the RCEP agreement from Nansha Port was 4.2 billion yuan, reducing taxes by more than 60 million yuan. With tariff rates decreasing year by year, imported goods will enjoy greater tax incentives in the future. In terms of exports, last year Nansha Customs issued 5924 certificates of origin for exports, with a visa amount of 333 million US dollars, benefiting a total of 129 enterprises.
As of now, Nansha Port has opened over 150 international liner routes. In Song Xiaoming's view, with the advancement of RCEP, more and more international routes are connecting the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area with the world, promoting trade development.
In addition, the sea rail intermodal transportation in Nansha has achieved normal operation, and the Nansha Port South Station has also achieved the departure of China Europe and Central Asia trains, reaching countries such as Kazakhstan. Nansha Port is witnessing a more open sea to land trade channel and closer economic and trade exchanges in its foreign trade landscape.
