Container throughput between Xiamen, Taiwan hits record high in Q1

The container throughput of the cross-Straits routes for passengers, cargo and ro/ro (roll-on and roll-off) rose 51.5 percent year-on-year to 2,591 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in the first quarter of 2019, an all-time record high, local media reported April 13.

Statistics showed that container throughput of cross-Straits routes in January to March was 1,192, 592 and 807 TEUs, year-on-year increases of 26.3 percent, 39.3 percent and 136.7 percent.

Customs authorities said that the improving service level has promoted the big growth of cargo throughput across the Straits, which has met the rapidly growing demand for cargo shipments amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

For instance, Xiamen Customs rolled out innovative measures to ensure the timely delivery of time-sensitive shipments, and made full use of the high efficiency of the ferry Cosco Star, which travels between Xiamen, Fujian province, and Taiwan's Keelung, usually departing from its home port in Xiamen every Wednesday evening and arriving in Keelung the next morning. Statistics showed that the volume of express freight delivered by sea between Xiamen and Taiwan increased 3.7 times in March over the previous month.

"The innovative measures include advance declarations and non-contact approvals, and Xiamen International Cruise Home Port offered 24-hour services for inspections to simplify customs clearance procedures to ensure timely delivery," said an official from Xiamen Customs.

The official added that the import clearance time of cross-Straits routes was cut by 11.47 percent and the export-clearance time by 62.09 percent in March, which has greatly increased the competitiveness of the routes.