On July 16, the Xingsha Customs Authority under the jurisdiction of Changsha Customs adopted the "inspect-before-loading" supervision model to inspect a batch of LCL (Less than Container Load) cargo at the Hunan Central South Consolidation Center Customs Supervision Site. After inspection, the cargo was loaded into containers, sealed, and shipped to Russia via the China-Europe (Changsha) freight train service.

This marked the official launch of the innovative supervision model combining "inspect-before-loading" with "export supervision warehouse" by the Changsha Customs Authority in Changsha, injecting new momentum into improving the quality and efficiency of export LCL operations for the China-Europe (Changsha) freight train service.

Under the traditional export LCL supervision model, enterprises generally adopt a "loading before customs clearance" operation process. Specifically, export LCL cargo is first consolidated and loaded into containers outside the customs supervision site, then transported as full container loads to the site, where the customs authority conducts inspections on a per-container basis. This model has many pain points in actual operation, such as complicated procedures, low efficiency, high costs, and low fault tolerance, easily leading to problems like "difficulty locating goods, cumbersome unpacking, slow repacking, and prolonged container detention."

To effectively address these challenges, help foreign trade enterprises reduce costs and increase efficiency, and facilitate international logistics channels, the Changsha Customs Authority took the lead in innovating the supervision system at the Hunan Central South Consolidation Center in June of this year, based on the actual development of the China-Europe freight train service in Hunan. The authority launched the pilot reform for the "inspect-before-loading and export distribution-type supervision warehouse" model. Through functional integration and innovation, a single supervised warehouse now combines three core functions: "port clearance, inspect-before-loading, and export supervision warehouse," removing business processing barriers. Export LCL cargo can complete the entire supervision process—warehousing, declaration, customs inspection, customs clearance, and shipment—at the customs supervision site, completely restructuring the traditional LCL clearance operation flow.

Under the new supervision model, customs declaration and inspection processes can be initiated simultaneously after loose export cargo from foreign trade enterprises arrives at the supervised warehouse of the Hunan Central South Consolidation Center. For cargo selected for customs inspection, rapid inspection and release can be completed within half an hour. Once the customs authority has verified each shipment individually and completed the inspection, the loading of compliant goods into containers and the application of customs seals are carried out collectively.

Containers that have completed consolidation and sealing are seamlessly connected to the Changsha International Railway Port through "zone-port linkage," then directly transported by the China-Europe (Changsha) freight trains. This significantly reduces redundant steps like intermediate transfers, repeated verification, and secondary loading/unloading, achieving a leapfrog improvement in clearance efficiency.

"The new supervision and inspection model can save over half a day in unpacking and repacking time, completely avoiding cargo damage and loss caused by secondary loading and unloading. Additionally, it saves 2,000 to 3,000 CNY in costs per container, bringing tangible benefits to enterprises," said Zhou Yu, manager from the Hunan Central South Consolidation Center.

Going forward, the Changsha Customs Authority will continue to further optimize the port business environment, steadily expand the application scope of the new model, and leverage the advantages of the China-Europe (Changsha) freight train service as an international logistics channel to continuously enhance cross-border trade facilitation.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Chinanews