Despite the intermittent downpours of the “Dragon Boat Rain”—the seasonal torrential rains that typically occur around the Dragon Boat Festival in southern China—the Chinese-flagged tanker Hualin Bay, which departed from Singapore, safely docked at Huade Wharf on Mabianzhou Island, Huizhou, carrying a full load of 300,000 tons of crude oil. On June 17, it was learned from the Huizhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station (hereinafter referred to as “Huizhou Border Inspection Station”) that the port’s cumulative crude oil imports for the year had officially surpassed the 10-million-ton mark, registering steady year-on-year growth. This fully underscores Huizhou’s strong resilience and strategic value as a vital energy hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
As one of China’s most economically vibrant and energy-hungry regions, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area relies heavily on stable energy supplies. The Daya Bay Petrochemical Industrial Park in Huizhou, which boasts one of the nation's largest integrated refining and petrochemical facilities, has leveraged its superior deep-water port conditions to become a pivotal maritime crude oil receiving base for the wider bay area.
The Hualin Bay is just the latest in a long line of VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers) to have docked here this year. From Huizhou Port, this steady flow of “industrial lifeblood” travels ashore and through pipelines to refining and petrochemical facilities inland, where it is processed and ultimately converted into the energy that fuels the region's cities and industries.
As international crude prices continue to fluctuate and global energy supply chains face mounting pressures, the ability to process over 10 million tonnes of crude oil imports has been made possible in no small part by the seamless coordination of port authorities. The speed with which crude is offloaded and moved from docks to refineries directly determines the smooth functioning of the vast industrial ecosystem downstream—one that supports tens of billions of yuan in economic activity.
Huizhou Border Inspection Station has taken the initiative to embed its services into the petrochemical industry's supply chain security system. It has opened dedicated “green lanes” for crude oil and other critical energy resources, and introduced a tailored “one vessel, one strategy” approach to clearance support. Through proactive measures including advance monitoring of vessel movements, dynamic risk evaluation, and online pre-arrival customs processing, the station has achieved on-arrival “zero wait” and operational “zero delay” for petrochemical tankers, significantly cutting down the time vessels spend idle at berth.
“With the international crude oil market shifting by the hour, every minute we shave off clearance time translates into greater initiative in safeguarding energy supplies,” noted Zhou Ying, head of the Second Inspection Team at Huizhou Border Inspection Station. To date this year, the station has facilitated expedited customs clearance for more than 400 petrochemical carriers, playing a vital role in keeping the maritime energy lifelines open and running smoothly through its professional and responsive service.
With the global oil market buffeted by geopolitical uncertainties and shifting policies among producing nations, Huizhou Port has bucked the trend and posted resilient growth in crude oil imports. This robust performance has done much to shore up regional energy security, while also underpinning the stability of the Greater Bay Area’s petrochemical industrial chain and helping businesses keep their energy costs in check.
Looking ahead, Huizhou Border Inspection Station plans to deepen its collaborative efforts with all port stakeholders, further optimize clearance processes, and elevate the port’s service capabilities to a new level. With a firm commitment to embedding itself in the Greater Bay Area’s broader energy integration strategy, the station aims to deliver more dependable, robust, and efficient energy security that powers the region’s pursuit of high-quality development.
Reported by: LIU Haowei, LIAN Keke
