[Photo by Liu Zhaolong to chinadaily.com.cn]
The rail-sea intermodal transport of Dalian Area of China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone, or the Dalian FTZ, featured in the list of the top 10 institutional innovation cases by domestic FTZs in 2021-2022, according to a report by the Institute of Free Trade Zones at Sun Yat-Sen University.
It was the second time for the Dalian FTZ to feature to the list for its institutional innovation. This reelection onto the list showcases the wide recognition of the notable achievements made by the Dalian FTZ in the further improvement of its business environment and trade facilitation.
The award-winning intermodal transport, which is comprised of freight trains and ocean liners, has strengthened the integration between railways and ports, expanded the depth and width of rail-sea transport services, facilitated the interconnection among railway, port and shipping resources, broken down industrial barriers and restrictive factors caused by cross-regional railway administration and improved the distribution of raw materials.
The utilization of open-top containers in railway transport has dramatically facilitated the loading and unloading of commodities, reducing product damage and labor costs. Meanwhile, the adoption of Ro-Ro passenger vessels has made it possible to employ open-top containers in sea transport and bolstered the transport capacity of Dalian port.
Rail-sea intermodal transport has halved the time for the delivery of crop and oil products from northeastern China to Shandong and other places to five days, and has become a concrete measure for the Dalian FTZ to promote the country's new economic development pattern of "dual circulation" and to build Dalian port into a demonstration port for open-top containers in the Bohai Sea Region.
