On March 13, Zhongshan's maritime department, together with the customs, frontier inspection station and other port authorities, conducted a joint boarding inspection, first of its kind at Zhongshan Port, of the "White Pearl" ship from Maldives that was seeking an emergency refuge for maintenance.

First joint boarding inspection of a foreign ship at Zhongshan Port. (Photo provided to Zhongshan Daily)

Since August 26, 2016, Zhongshan Port obtained official approval for opening to foreign ships.

After the customs inspection and quarantine department ruled out public health risks, the inspection authorities thoroughly inspected the ship's entry information, crew qualifications, personnel information, public health and certificates of seafarer.

Notably, the joint boarding inspection reduced the time for ship entry & exit inspection from about four hours to less than one hour, further enhancing the inspection capacity and service level of the port.