Beibu Gulf Port sets single-voyage car export record with 2,727 vehicles bound for Oman
In short
The ship Changrongkou (常荣口) left the Qinzhou port area of Guangxi's Beibu Gulf Port (北部湾港) on October 8 with 2,727 Chinese cars bound for Duqm Port in Oman. The shipment set a record for the port's single-voyage roll-on/roll-off car exports. The direct voyage needs no transshipment and takes about 15 days.
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The ship Changrongkou (常荣口), carrying 2,727 Chinese cars, left the Qinzhou port area of Guangxi's Beibu Gulf Port (北部湾港) on October 8 bound for Duqm Port in Oman, setting a record for the port's single-voyage roll-on/roll-off car exports, China News Service reported. CLS, 36Kr and Jiemian carried the same account. China News Service said the ship had been berthed at Qinzhou and loading on October 6. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
Duqm Port lies in south-eastern Oman. The voyage runs directly from Qinzhou to the Middle East with no transshipment and takes about 15 days, and the reports said it opens an efficient new export channel for Chinese carmakers expanding into the Middle East market. China News Service added that Duqm faces the Arabian Sea. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
To handle the shipment, the Qinzhou terminal used a combined model of rail cage cars and a ro-ro ship. Yuan Qiuhong (袁秋红), deputy manager of the business department at Beibu Gulf Port Qinzhou Terminal Co. (北部湾港钦州码头有限公司), said the cars travelled by dedicated train from factories in Chongqing directly to the port, where consolidation, inspection and loading were carried out as one integrated operation, cutting intermediate steps and shortening the time to shipment. [ 1 , 5 ]
Tang Huijia (汤慧佳), head of a logistics monitoring section at Qinzhou Port Customs, said that in response to the clearance pressure from the record export volume, customs guided companies to use measures including advance declaration, direct loading on arrival and appointment-based clearance, so vehicles could be inspected as soon as they arrived and loaded as soon as they were inspected, reducing clearance time as much as possible. [ 1 ]
The reports said that in recent years the port's route network and its sea-rail and road logistics system have been improved, widening the reach of its ro-ro business. According to data cited by 36Kr and Jiemian from CCTV News, the ro-ro service had made 10 voyages since it began, as of September this year, exporting more than 11,000 vehicles and units of construction machinery. China News Service said the port's Middle East ro-ro route now runs once a month on a regular basis, and that carmakers from Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang and north-east China have chosen to ship through Beibu Gulf Port. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The reports present the direct Qinzhou-Duqm voyage as a new, more efficient export channel for Chinese carmakers expanding into the Middle East. China News Service said carmakers from several Chinese regions now ship through Beibu Gulf Port, which it described as increasingly an important export channel for Chinese cars to the Middle East.
Key facts
- The Changrongkou left the Qinzhou port area of Beibu Gulf Port on October 8 carrying 2,727 Chinese cars. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The ship is bound for Duqm Port in Oman. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The shipment set a record for single-voyage roll-on/roll-off car exports at Beibu Gulf Port. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The voyage runs directly from Qinzhou to the Middle East without transshipment and takes about 15 days. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The cars were brought by dedicated train from factories in Chongqing under a combined rail and ro-ro shipping model. [ 1 , 5 ]
- The port's Middle East ro-ro route now runs once a month on a regular basis. [ 1 ]
- Since the ro-ro service began, it had made 10 voyages by September this year, exporting more than 11,000 vehicles and units of construction machinery, according to data cited from CCTV News. [ 4 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Changrongkou sailed from Beibu Gulf Port's Qinzhou port area on October 8 with 2,727 Chinese cars bound for Duqm Port, Oman, setting the port's single-voyage ro-ro car export record. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- The direct voyage requires no transshipment and takes about 15 days. [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]
- The cars travelled by dedicated train from factories in Chongqing to the port. [ 1 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Which carmakers produced the 2,727 cars. The documents say the cars came from factories in Chongqing but do not name the companies or brands.
- The exact departure time of the ship on October 8. The documents give only the date of departure.
- Beibu Gulf Port's ro-ro service had made 10 voyages by September this year, exporting more than 11,000 vehicles and units of construction machinery. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- October 8: China News Service reports the Changrongkou has left Qinzhou with a record 2,727 cars for Oman. [ 1 ]
- October 9: CLS and Yicai report the record shipment. [ 2 , 3 ]
- October 9: 36Kr reports the record and cumulative ro-ro figures, citing CCTV News. [ 4 ]
- October 9: Jiemian publishes its report, citing CCTV News. [ 5 ]