On October 6th, the Guangzhou Nansha Automobile Port was bustling with activity. With the blast of its whistle, the roll-on/roll-off ship “Prestige Pioneer” slowly departed the Nansha Automobile Terminal, soon to embark on a voyage to the Middle East with 749 domestically produced vehicles.
This was the 11th ship to export vehicles through the Guangzhou Nansha Port during the National Day holiday. From October 1st to 6th, Nansha Customs, under the supervision of Guangzhou Customs, exported over 10,000 vehicles through the Guangzhou Nansha Port, setting a new record for the same period.
Located on Shazai Island in Huangge Town, Nansha District, the Guangzhou Nansha Automobile Port is the largest roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal complex in South China, boasting seven dedicated berths for ro-ro vehicles exceeding 10,000 tons, a 1.8-kilometer quayside, and a nearly 1.6 million square meter commercial vehicle storage yard.
Currently, nine export routes have been established, attracting over ten auto brands, including Changan, Geely, and Chery, to export from Nansha. These brands include dozens of models, including sedans, SUVs, and heavy-duty trucks, with shipments reaching 20 countries and regions, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.
In recent years, automobile exports at Guangzhou Nansha Port have continued to boom. “So far this year, automobile export business has been outstanding. During the busiest period, the terminal’s operating surface was filled with cars waiting to be exported.
During this year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, cars were shipped out almost every day.”
Lu Chunrong, Assistant General Manager of Nansha Automobile Terminal, stated that thanks to an efficient and convenient customs clearance environment, all operations at the Nansha Automobile Terminal have been running smoothly. In the first nine months of this year, the terminal significantly exceeded its original annual export target of 220,000 vehicles by 2025, setting a new record for the same period.
The accelerated export of vehicles to overseas markets places high demands on customs clearance speeds at ports. During her holiday duty, Yin Haiyun, head of the Automobile Supervision Section at Nansha Customs, was exceptionally busy—taking orders, inspecting, releasing vehicles, and patrolling the site. This tight schedule brought her to an average of over 20,000 steps per day.
“Auto exports are booming. We made all necessary preparations before the holiday, and port operations are currently operating normally.
Based on company declarations, a total of 13 roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ships are expected to call at Guangzhou Nansha Port during this year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays to ship automobile exports, with approximately 11,000 vehicles expected to be exported, a record high for the same period. Thirty percent of these vehicles will be new energy vehicles.”
Yin Haiyun stated that to meet companies’ demand for automobile exports during the holiday, Customs proactively provided services, pre-aligned with companies’ export plans, provided 24-hour appointments for customs clearance, and guided companies to “declare in advance.” For RoRo ships docking at the Nansha Automobile Port, a “ship-on-arrival, immediate inspection” policy was implemented to ensure that every batch of exported vehicles could depart the port efficiently and smoothly.
To further facilitate automobile export trade channels, Nansha Customs has established a comprehensive customs clearance service mechanism, providing businesses with one-stop consultation and comprehensive answers to their questions.
Also, in line with Guangzhou Nansha’s positioning and needs as an international hub for cross-border automobile trade, the Nansha Automobile Port is fully supporting the expansion of direct ro-ro shipping routes for foreign trade, establishing combined transport models of “ro-ro ocean + sea-rail transport” and “ro-ro ocean + ro-ro barge transport,” and promoting multi-port coordinated shipping out to sea.
