A container terminal in the Jintang port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

At berth No 3 of the Dapukou container terminal in the Jintang port area of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, 750 Geely-branded Chinese cars were loaded onto the container ship Xing Shun 25 for shipment to Russia on Sept 27.

With the increasing international influence and recognition of Chinese auto brands, more domestic car exporters are developing a preference for container shipping to roll-on/roll-off shipping. The Dapukou container terminal, with its 41 shipping routes connecting countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, is becoming a popular gateway for Chinese cars heading overseas.

"This is a busy shipping period due to the upcoming National Day holiday, so we’re operating on a tight schedule," said Dong Xiaobo, general manager of Zhoushan Feiyang Customs Declaration Agency Co. "But thanks to the guidance and efficient supervision of Zhoushan Customs, the Chinese cars we declared were loaded on time, giving us confidence in the smooth shipment of over 3,000 additional cars."

To further strengthen export channels for Chinese automobiles and speed up their overseas shipment, Zhoushan Customs has developed a supervision scheme for ship and cargo clearance, offered appointment-based clearance and inspection services, and coordinated with the terminals to open fast-track entry lanes.

Statistics show that from January to August, Zhoushan Customs supervised the export of 508 batches of automobiles from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port's Yongzhou container terminals, with a total value of 2.29 billion yuan ($326.91 million), marking year-on-year increases of 154 percent and 55 percent, respectively.