"According to our measurements, the ship can save 20 percent on time and 13 percent on transportation costs, and can minimize pollution on the Yangtze River," said an official from the local port authority, adding that a river-sea intermodal transportation fleet for containers and dry bulks has been established.

In addition, the city's river-sea intermodal transportation public information platform has been listed as a key national logistics information platform, serving nearly 1,000 shipping companies in China's coastal areas.

Zhoushan handled 211 million tons of cargo by river-sea intermodal transportation last year, up 10.29 percent year on year. 

Maritime service improvement 

An arbitration center for the China Maritime Arbitration Commission was launched in Zhejiang FTZ on March 22 to address maritime disputes in the city.

The center has so far handled maritime arbitration cases involving nearly 20 million yuan ($2.98 million). It will soon issue a model contract for local ship repairing companies.

Zhoushan has also been enhancing services for foreign vessels, including ship repair and transactions. 

It realized $1.51 billion in the value of supplies for foreign vessels last year, up 304.44 percent year on year.