Official Opening of Qingdao Dongjiakou Port to Foreign Vessels

　　On July 6, reporters from iQingdao learned at a press conference held by the Information Office of Qingdao Municipal People's Government that the Ministry of Transport and Shandong Maritime Safety Administration have successively issued announcements approving the official opening of Dongjiakou Port to international navigation vessels.

I. Review of the Opening Process of Dongjiakou Port

　　A port serves as a gateway for national opening-up, a bridge for personnel and economic and trade exchanges, and a vital barrier for national security. The opening of a port involves military authorities and multiple central government ministries and commissions. It requires multi-level reviews and opinions solicitation, confirmation of the opening scope, verification of institutional staffing, and completion of supporting inspection facilities. The application procedure is complicated and the approval cycle is long. With strong support from various port inspection authorities based in Qingdao, the city has successfully completed all work for the opening of Dongjiakou Port.

　　On June 11, 2020, the national port acceptance team completed the inspection and acceptance of supporting inspection facilities at Dongjiakou Port. On June 19, the General Administration of Customs issued a document confirming that Dongjiakou Port of Qingdao passed the national acceptance for opening to the outside world.

　　The Ministry of Transport released an announcement on June 23, approving the opening of Dongjiakou Port in Qingdao, Shandong to international navigation vessels. On June 30, Shandong Maritime Safety Administration issued an announcement to specify the waters open to navigation at Dongjiakou Port.

II. Building First-class Supporting Inspection Facilities

　　Targeting a first-class port environment featuring safety, smooth operation, convenience and high efficiency, relevant municipal authorities including the Port Office of Qingdao Municipal People's Government, the Administrative Committee of West Coast New Area and Qingdao Municipal Finance Bureau, together with on-site inspection authorities such as Qingdao Customs, Shandong Maritime Safety Administration and Dongjiakou Entry-Exit Border Checkpoint, as well as Shandong Port Qingdao Port, have worked in close collaboration. Port inspection infrastructure and port facilities were planned and constructed simultaneously and continuously upgraded.

　　At present, a laboratory for inspection and quarantine of imported goods has been built within the shipping center of Dongjiakou Port Area. The port is also equipped with an offshore oil spill emergency equipment warehouse with a helicopter apron, open-air cleaning pools and drying yards, as well as the world's advanced Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system. Full closed-off management has been implemented across the port area, providing solid guarantees for the safe and efficient operation of Dongjiakou Port.

III. Fully Unleashing the Production Capacity of Terminal Facilities in Advance

　　As part of Shandong Port Qingdao Port, Dongjiakou Port Area is planned to have 122 berths with an annual handling capacity of 530 million tons. It is a comprehensive port area with the largest land area and the most berths developed in a single phase across Shandong Port, equivalent to building another Qingdao Port in scale.

　　Before the official opening of the port, a number of terminal berths were completed and put into operation. With the support of port inspection authorities, 18 completed berths were approved for temporary opening to generate benefits ahead of schedule.

　　Statistics show that the annual cargo throughput of Dongjiakou Port Area has exceeded 100 million tons for three consecutive years. In 2019 alone, the port received 4,012 vessels and achieved a cargo throughput of 158.12 million tons, including 90.54 million tons of foreign trade cargo. It has built a renowned brand for fast large-vessel loading and unloading with comprehensive supporting facilities and premium full-process services, emerging as the preferred and first port in China for 400,000-ton large ore carriers.

　　It is estimated that after the official opening of Dongjiakou Port, bulk cargo such as coal can be directly shipped in and out via the port. The import of coal alone will help enterprises cut logistics costs by over 100 million yuan annually. The opening also plays a vital role in building an industrial chain ecosystem integrating shipping, trade, finance, loading and unloading, warehousing and transportation.

IV. Streamlining Customs Clearance to Optimize Port Business Environment

　　After being set up, inspection authorities at Dongjiakou Port have overcome challenges such as staff shortages and heavy workloads, rolled out innovative reform measures, continued to optimize the port business environment and improved the facilitation level of cross-border trade.

　　Dongjiakou Customs has fully implemented the 'dual random inspection and public disclosure' mechanism and expanded the functions of the International Trade Single Window, with the application rate of the Single Window for entry-exit vessel declarations reaching 100%. Paperless clearance procedures for vessel entry and exit have been adopted, enabling vessels to complete clearance with 'one single visit at most'. A supervision model of 'release first, inspection later' has been applied to bulk cargo including imported iron ore, manganese ore and chromium ore, which improves the utilization rate of port yards, shortens cargo pickup waiting time and reduces operational costs for enterprises. In 2019, Dongjiakou Customs supervised over 95 million tons of import and export goods worth 36.5 billion US dollars.

　　Dongjiakou Maritime Safety Administration has comprehensively improved navigation management and emergency response capabilities, and strengthened on-site vessel supervision to ensure safe vessel berthing and departure during the temporary opening period. It has followed the requirements of the 'Three Ones' reform for government services, releasing a list covering 23 maritime administrative services in 5 categories that can be processed 'without on-site visits' or 'with one single visit'. In line with eight service measures to streamline certification procedures for the construction of the Shandong Pilot Free Trade Zone, the administration has optimized work procedures for government services and simplified application materials. All its administrative service items now support real-time approval.

　　Dongjiakou Entry-Exit Border Checkpoint has vigorously promoted the 'Internet plus border inspection service' initiative and launched a five-service model including online processing, reservation service, batch handling, on-site service and telephone consultation. The new model realizes the goal of 'letting data run more and people travel less'. On average, each entry-exit vessel saves 3 hours on clearance procedures, bringing a total saving of nearly 7,000 hours and over 40 million yuan in costs annually. For a foreign cargo ship carrying 400,000 tons of ore, the entire customs clearance process takes less than 30 minutes via online declaration by shipping agents.

　　Following the official opening of Dongjiakou Port, Dongjiakou Port Area and Qianwan Port Area will leverage their respective strengths to achieve complementary development, coordinated operation and full release of operational capabilities. This will accelerate the clustering of large-scale, base-oriented, export-oriented and port-linked industries, and help Qingdao Port complete its transformation and upgrade into a fourth-generation world-class port.

　　Going forward, Dongjiakou Port will push forward the expansion of the opening scope for Hujiashan Operation Area, advance the opening of newly built terminal berths, continuously optimize the port business environment, and strive to build a new highland for reform and opening up in the new era, so as to provide strong support for the sustained and sound development of foreign trade in Shandong Province and Qingdao City.

　　The official opening of Dongjiakou Port marks a milestone in the development history of Qingdao's ports. It means Qingdao has become one of the few cities in China with two open ports. This move is of great significance for Qingdao to build a world-class ocean port, boost the development of the SCO Demonstration Zone and the Qingdao Area of Shandong Pilot Free Trade Zone, forge a new platform for international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and pursue higher-level opening up.