One-Time Locking, Full-Journey Security: 'Shaoxing-Ningbo' Export Customs Transit Route Adopts Smart Seals

China Inspection and Quarantine Times - Recently, an export container under Customs transit from Keqiao, Shaoxing, has successfully undergone an automated smart-lock inspection upon passing through the intelligent sealing checkpoint at the Chuanshan Port Area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. This milestone marks the official launch of smart supervision for the "Shaoxing-Ningbo" export Customs transit route.

"Now, the container seal inspection is completed automatically the moment it enters the port area, which is so much more efficient than the conventional manual operation," said Qiu Hailong, Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Fangdu International Freight Forwarding Company Limited.

In recent years, Ningbo Customs has been vigorously promoting the development of Smart Customs and the"Smart Customs for Stronger Nation" initiative, building an intelligent in-transit supervision model utilizing secure smart locks. First piloted in 2018 for Customs transit operations between Hangzhou and Ningbo, this model has matured into a replicable and scalable set of best practices now recognized as the "Ningbo Experience".

Unlike traditional Customs seals, the secure smart lock features built-in positioning and sensor modules. It utilizes electronic encryption to ensure one-time locking for full-journey security throughout transit, while simultaneously transmitting real-time datasuch as location and lock statusto the Customs monitoring platform. Equipped with such smart locks, export containers under Customs transit can be inspected around the clock upon arrival at any container terminal in Ningbo Port, using Internet of Things (IoT), RFID and other kinds of technologies. This innovation effectively removes the time constraints associated with manual seal checks.

Daxie Customs, a subsidiary of Ningbo Customs, has leveraged inter-regional collaboration mechanisms between Hangzhou and Ningbo to promote the intelligent in-transit supervision model. The system has now been extended to include Yiwu, Jinhua, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Shaoxing, and other areas, providing efficient logistics support for cross-border trade.

According to statistics, Ningbo Customs deployed secure smart locks on 785,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the first eight months of this year.

Moving forward, Ningbo Customs will continue to refine the intelligent in-transit supervision model through process optimization, boosting port efficiency, cutting operational costs for businesses, and supporting Zhejiang indeveloping itself into a high-level open economy. (Correspondent: Wang Hui)