South Korean vessel "Seongho Galaxy" docks at Yangkou Port in Rudong, Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

On the afternoon of Oct 5, the first international vessel of the National Day holiday, the South Korean-flagged "Seongho Galaxy", successfully docked at Yangkou Port's liquid chemical terminal, upon which officers from the Rudong border inspection station boarded the ship to carry out the necessary inspections.

According to Officer Zhang Xi, the team had been preparing for the vessel's arrival since Oct 3, but strong winds at sea caused the ship's schedule to be delayed twice before it ultimately docked on Oct 5. "Schedule changes are common, and we must be on duty 24/7 so that we're ready for anything," said Zhang.

The "Seongho Galaxy" was loaded with 5,000 metric tons of chemical raw materials, which will be transferred via pipeline to new material companies in the Yangkou Port industrial zone.

Rudong border inspection station is responsible for overseeing nearly 6,910 meters of coastline, three open terminals, and eight berths at Yangkou Port. With the increasing number of major projects in the port, there has been a growing demand for imported raw materials and exported finished products.

So far this year, 327 liquid chemical vessels have docked at Yangkou Port's liquid chemical terminal, marking a year-on-year increase of 10.8 percent, and the terminal has handled approximately 3.02 million tons of liquid chemicals, a 26.9 percent increase and record high.

To enhance service for international vessels, the station established Jiangsu's first island-based border inspection unit on Sunshine Island in November 2022, significantly improving customs clearance efficiency.