Over 90% reduction in customs clearance cycle, Ningbo Customs launches intelligent supervision business for imported iron ore

The bulk carrier docked at the ore terminal is carrying out iron ore unloading operations. Xue Qiyan/Photo

Author: Xue Qiyan, Guo Dazhao
　　   
On June 2nd, facing the dawn, a bulk cargo ship loaded with 80000 tons of imported iron ore slowly docked at the Beilun Port Area Ore Terminal in Zhoushan Port, Ningbo. As the grab bucket on the crane enters the cabin, the unloading of iron ore immediately begins, and the Ningbo Customs' "Smart Inspection - Supervision of Bulk Resource Commodities (Iron Ore)" business scenario is officially put into trial operation. This scenario relies on intelligent detection equipment, intelligent model algorithms, and integrated application platforms to seamlessly integrate five major regulatory functions into the entire process of dock operations, including solid waste screening, inclusion screening, radioactive monitoring, automatic sampling and logistics monitoring. It marks the first landing and application of the new intelligent supervision model for imported iron ore in Zhejiang ports, opening a new chapter of efficient customs clearance with "unloading and loading, unloading and inspection, and leaving immediately after unloading".
In the unloading channel, "electronic sentinels" are quietly on duty - a series of intelligent inspection equipment accurately obtains high-definition appearance pictures, detailed composition, radioactive readings and other regulatory information of the batch of iron ore and uploads them in real time. At the same time, in front of the surveillance screen more than ten kilometers away, a customs officer from the Ship Management Department of Beilun Customs Lingang Office under Ningbo Customs is lightly tapping on the screen, carefully verifying the real-time inspection status of the intelligent equipment for this batch of iron ore. The head of the department introduced, "Thanks to panoramic monitoring and intelligent recognition technology, we can now conduct a full process risk assessment of imported iron ore in the monitoring room. While ensuring strict supervision and operational safety, we deeply integrate customs supervision with port logistics, from 'multi-stage series connection' to 'seamless parallel connection', and fully promote the speed and efficiency of port logistics
Most of the imported iron ore in our port area has to be transported by waterway. For a long time, the transportation of iron ore has to be 'tossed and turned' between ships and yards, which is time-consuming and laborious. Everyone urgently hopes that the turnover of iron ore can be faster, "said Zhang Xiaolong, Deputy General Manager of Beilun Ore Terminal Branch of Ningbo Zhoushan Port Co., Ltd." Nowadays, the 'imperceptible' change in inspection and supervision mode has directly transformed into the efficient driving force of port logistics, greatly optimizing the turnover path of iron ore and significantly improving logistics efficiency
The deeper levels of "insensitivity" and "efficiency" stem from the systematic integration of regulatory processes. Ningbo Customs has implemented facilitation measures such as "release before inspection" and 24-hour operation, and implemented a "one-time declaration, one-time inspection, and one-time release" mode for directly unloaded goods, reducing the overall clearance cycle by more than 90%. According to calculations, under the new model, the annual unloading volume of iron ore at Ningbo Port will increase by 6 million tons, and the average time for cargo owners to receive each batch will be 15 hours earlier.
It is precisely this systematic integration and process reengineering that has laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive implementation of smart supervision, and also provided vivid practical examples for the "technology driven development of customs".
On this basis, Ningbo Customs takes "technology driven customs" as the guide, solidly promotes the construction of smart customs, embeds smart supervision into the core operation chain of the port, effectively improves the efficiency of regulatory services, continuously enhances the resilience of the industrial chain and supply chain, accelerates the construction of a commodity resource allocation hub, and provides reliable guarantees for coordinated development and security.
The trial operation of intelligent supervision has comprehensively upgraded the efficiency of imported mineral product supervision services, significantly enhanced the efficiency of port logistics turnover, and injected new momentum into serving the construction of a strong manufacturing country and ensuring the security and stability of the national strategic resource supply chain. "The relevant person in charge of Ningbo Customs said," In the future, the import of iron ore business at Ningbo Port has opened a new chapter of 'accurate inspection, management, fast communication, and safer', and also provided stronger 'hard support' for the construction of the bulk commodity resource allocation hub in Zhejiang Province