Smart ports unlock cross-border travel acceleration
At around 7:00 am on December 15th, with a melodious whistle piercing through the peaceful sea, the "Blue Dream Song" international cruise ship smoothly docked at the North Port Cruise Terminal in Guangxi. The ship returned from Vietnam, carrying over 1000 passengers who efficiently completed customs clearance procedures at the cruise homeport passenger center and entered the country smoothly.
It is reported that since the official reopening of the "2025 Cruise Season" at Beihang Port in November this year, a total of 12 cruise ships have been operated, and the number of inbound and outbound passengers has exceeded 20000.
The cruise industry is an important lever for deepening the opening-up to the outside world and activating the cultural and tourism economy in Beihai. How to achieve safe and convenient cross-border travel? Wu Wei, a fourth level researcher at the Beihai Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced that under the coordination of the Beihai Municipal Bureau of Commerce (Port Office), customs, border inspection, maritime and other departments are working together to create an efficient, convenient and intelligent new port clearance mode, bringing a new travel experience to Chinese and foreign tourists.
1. Customs inspection: customs clearance time reduced by 40%
At the customs clearance site, passengers looking forward to cross-border travel orderly put their suitcases and backpacks into the intelligent X-ray machine for rapid inspection.
This time the customs clearance was particularly smooth. You don't have to queue up to fill out forms like before. You can complete the declaration with just a few clicks on the WeChat mini program, which is very convenient! "Exclaimed passenger Qin Lixia.
It is reported that Beihai Customs relies on its independently developed "Smart Travel Inspection" system to integrate advanced technologies such as big data risk analysis into the regulatory process, and build a new customs clearance model of "fingertip declaration+intelligent inspection". Low risk passengers can complete self-service declaration through the "Customs Entry Exit Personnel Fingertip Service" mini program, supplemented by intelligent health inspection channels and intelligent X-ray machines for rapid verification, reducing the average clearance time by 40% compared to the past.
Zhang Xinyu, Deputy Director of the Travel Inspection Department of Beihai Customs, introduced that in order to further improve service efficiency, Beihai Customs has established a dedicated cruise ship supervision team, which connects passenger data with cruise companies three days in advance, and pre empties risk screening, process optimization and other work. At the same time, by optimizing the design of passenger station routes, adding "self-service declaration guidance posts", and arranging dedicated personnel to assist elderly passengers and first-time travelers in completing operations, the supervision efficiency is improved while minimizing the waiting time of passengers on site.
2. Pre inspection at the border: The average clearance time does not exceed 10 seconds
Please show me your passport. "In the manual inspection channel of the travel inspection hall, Ms. Li, a citizen, handed her passport to the window, and the border police quickly checked the information and completed the biometric verification, making the whole process smooth and efficient. I was originally worried about the high volume of cruise passengers queuing up, but I didn't expect the efficiency of border inspection to be so high. I handed over my passport and it was processed quickly without any delay, "Ms. Li said with a smile.
To ensure the safe and smooth operation of the shipping route, the Beihai border inspection station has planned in advance and implemented precise measures, tailored a specialized ship inspection plan based on the characteristics of the "Blue Dream Song" shipping route, and implemented a "one terminal, one specialized team" service mechanism.
On the day of customs clearance, the passenger flow in the inspection hall of the Beibu Gulf International Cruise Home Port was heavy. Border inspection police guided passengers in front of the waiting area and diverted them to manual and express channels to handle procedures. The station dynamically adjusts its police force based on changes in passenger flow, opens up sufficient inspection channels, optimizes the entry and exit inspection mode, simplifies the verification process, and achieves an average clearance time of no more than 10 seconds for passengers. For special groups such as elderly travelers and family groups, dedicated personnel are also arranged to provide heartwarming services such as consultation and guidance, as well as assistance with procedures, to ensure "getting off at the port right away, easy to come and go".
3. Maritime escort: "land, sea, air and space" three-dimensional support
Beibu Gulf VTS, 'Blue Dream Song' has entered the Beibu Gulf L1 reporting line and is reporting to you. ”On the first day of resumption, the Beihai Maritime Safety Administration worked closely with the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Ship Traffic Management Center to develop a special support plan for the "Blue Dream Song" and simultaneously launched a three-dimensional support mechanism of "land, sea, air, and sky" - using drones to patrol the waters around the waterway, dispatching patrol boats for on-site escort, and combining VTS system and smart maritime platform to implement dynamic tracking of the cruise ship throughout the entire voyage, ensuring safe and smooth navigation in all aspects.
Wang Liming, the third level organizer of Beihai Maritime Safety Administration, introduced that in response to the characteristics of cruise ship navigation, the bureau has established an information sharing mechanism with meteorological and marine departments in advance, updating sea condition warnings every 2 hours to help ships avoid adverse weather conditions.
In addition, to improve operational efficiency, the Beihai Maritime Safety Administration has also launched a "green customs clearance" service, which simplifies the inspection process by handling ship entry and exit procedures online, enabling fast passenger boarding and disembarking and material supply operations after the cruise ship docks, effectively saving ship stay time.
4. Accumulate experience: contribute to the "Beihai Wisdom" of cruise clearance
It is reported that from November 2025 to January 2026, the "Blue Dream Song" will operate 20 international voyages with Beihai as its home port, covering popular tourist destinations such as Halong Bay, Hue, and Zhenmei in Vietnam.
After multiple customs clearance practices, Beihang Port has gradually accumulated a set of experience in cruise ship protection. Before resuming operations, as the port coordination unit, the Beihai Municipal Bureau of Commerce (Port Office) took the lead in building a cross departmental collaboration mechanism with the idea of "government coordination, departmental linkage, technological empowerment, and service optimization".
The bureau has organized three special coordination meetings and conducted two emergency clearance drills, putting on the table the difficulties and blockages in port owners, passenger clearance, and ship operation. The joint inspection department has jointly sorted out the process, listed rectification lists, clarified the responsibilities and time limits of each link, and ensured smooth and orderly resumption of navigation.
The resumption of cruise ships is a new growth point for the regional economy, and we have a great responsibility. In the next step, we will continue to play a leading role, solidify the effective experience accumulated during the resumption, promote cross departmental collaboration for more efficient and precise services, inject momentum into the cruise economy of Beihai, and provide a practical path for similar ports to learn from, "said Wu Wei.
Nowadays, tourists from Guangxi and surrounding provinces can enjoy international cruise vacations at their doorstep, easily explore overseas attractions such as "Guilin on the Sea" and Halong Bay, and experience the unique charm of sunrise over the sea and deck parties. The cruise economy in Beihai is constantly rejuvenating, and behind this is the solid support provided by the construction of Beihai's "smart port".