Baotou customs has reported that as of Sept 9, container throughput at Mandula Port had reached 306,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), showing an increase of 110.7 percent from last year.

"Mandula Port shifted the storage of imported coal from traditional warehouses to container-based storage in 2022 and handled 257,000 TEUs in 2023. Thanks to increased cargo volume and improved customs clearance efficiency, we've already surpassed 300,000 TEUs this year," said Liu Hai, director of supervision section 1 at Baotou customs.

In addition to the breakthrough in container volume, the variety of imports and exports at Mandula Port has also become more diverse. New commodities such as fluorite and iron ore – crucial for Baotous industrial development – have been imported. Cables, wires, and cement building materials for infrastructure construction in Mongolia have been continuously exported in containers.

In recent years, Baotou customs has been actively exploring smart supervision methods best suited to the container storage model.

The port has implemented a smart port terminal system and used RFID (radio frequency identification devices) technology to guide transport vehicles in accurately unloading containers into designated areas. The system has also recorded essential information such as container numbers, companies, and vehicle details, facilitating swift location tracking and providing strong technical support for smart sampling.

"Moving forward, with the continued refinement of the customs' smart supervision platform, we expect even greater improvements in the regulatory efficiency and precision of Mandula Port," Liu Hai added.