Cuts to red tape prompt surge in HK and Macao repairs at Zhongshan City
An aerial photo of Zhongshan Port (Source: Mx Granger)
Port-based maintenance and repair orders from Hong Kong and Macao in Zhongshan have risen drastically, thanks to more streamlined entry policies and “reasonable” ship repair prices.
"The port-based maintenance and repair orders from Hong Kong and Macao have risen by approximately 20 percent," said Huang Tianzhun, representative of a ship engineering company in Zhongshan City.
Zhongshan has completed 31 ship maintenance and repair orders from Hong Kong and Macao this year to date, and is expected to reach nearly 100 by December 2024, according to data from the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration.
The city launched a service of direct entry for the maintenance of ships from the special administrative regions of China in October 2023. This allows vessels from overseas to directly dock at the shipping terminal and outward transport terminal of Zhongshan Port and the freight terminal of Shenwan Port for customs clearance.
Previously, ships registered in Hong Kong and Macao had to deal with multiple administrative procedures and use towing services to access ports in other cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for maintenance.
Favourable prices are being touted as another reason for the surge. Speaking to Bastille Post Global, Zhong Zhaolin, a representative from a ship operator said, “We come from Macao to have our ship repaired here, and the price is reasonable. It saves us about 100,000 yuan (14,038 U.S. dollars) in costs for each maintenance.”
The service of direct entry is set to be expanded to other cities in the Greater Bay Area to replace the success in Zhongshan.
"We will continue to refine the relevant working mechanisms and promote the Zhongshan model to other cities in the Greater Bay Area. The goals are to further facilitate the smooth and convenient navigation of ships in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, reduce maintenance expenses for shipping sectors in Hong Kong and Macao, and ultimately foster the growth of shipping economy in the Greater Bay Area," Xin Jian, director with the ship supervision department of Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration told Bastille Post Global.
