Staff members at Shengsi Customs inspect MINERAL FAITH, a Belgium-registered bulk carrier, at the Port of Majishan. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Staff members at Shengsi Customs finished clearing a shipment of iron ore in just three hours on Feb 26. The ore was delivered by MINERAL FAITH, a Belgium-registered bulk carrier, which docked at the Port of Majishan in Shengsi county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province.

"The iron ore came from Australia and will be delivered to Wuhan Iron and Steel Co," said Xu Song, a staff member at customs. "As the company is currently short of raw materials because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, we decided to expedite the iron ore shipment. Under normal conditions, customs clearance takes at least 24 hours."

The Port of Majishan is an important transfer station in the Yangtze River Delta region with an annual throughput of over 60 million metric tons. To date, the port has received over 100 kinds of iron ore from more than 20 countries, including Brazil, Australia, and South Africa, according to local authorities.

In recent days, Shengsi Customs has devised a number of methods in an effort to expedite iron ore customs clearance and help domestic iron and steel companies resume operations.

Staff members at the customs were required to work around the clock in shifts to expedite customs clearance.

The customs also established an online green channel for customs clearance application, allowing iron and steel companies to handle documents and apply for customs clearance online.

So far, a total of 3.13 million tons of iron ore worth $287 million have passed customs amid the outbreak of the virus.

Moving forward, Shengsi Customs will continue to improve services while preventing the spread of the virus in accordance with the requirements of the General Administration of Customs, said officials.