Imports and exports of fuel oil in Zhoushan ranks first nationwide from January to May.[Photo/WeChat account: china-zjftz]

Imports and exports of fuel oil in Zhoushan ranked first nationwide from January to May. 

Official data from Zhoushan Customs shows that the city imported 2.74 million tons of fuel oil in the first five months of this year, accounting for 43.7 percent of the total in the country. 

Fuel oil exports over the same period stood at 1.501 million tons, making up 28.9 percent of the nation's total. 

The export growth rate is 26.8 percentage points faster than the national average. 

The strong results are primarily due to efforts by local authorities in customs clearance facilitation, which has helped local enterprises save costs in terms of logistics and warehousing. 

From January to May, the total supply of bonded fuel oil at Zhoushan ports was 1.7 million tons, an increase of 12.6 percent over the previous year, making it the largest bonded fuel oil supply port in China. 

Earlier this year, China approved a tax rebate policy for bunkering on international sailing ships. By the end of May, Zhoushan Customs had handled 67 applications for fuel oil export tax rebates, involving 453,000 tons of fuel oil worth 1.05 billion yuan ($152.17 million).