The supply services at anchorage points are fully resumed in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: china-zjftz]

Supplies such as oil, cables, and pumps, with a combined value of $400,000, were delivered to a Turkish bulk carrier by a crane at an anchorage near Xiazhimen Port in Zhoushan on July 17. 

It marked that Zhoushan had resumed its supply services at anchorage points, which had been partly suspended due to the COVID-19 epidemic, after a guideline requiring local enterprises in the city to provide services in a contactless manner in place in the city. 

Zhoushan has now emerged as the world's eighth largest refueling port. 

Its supply of bonded bunker fuel oil expanded by 5.85 percent year-on-year to 2.0067 million metric tons in the first half of this year, accounting for about 30 percent of the national total, official data show.

The city has also expanded maritime services at anchorage points from bonded bunker fuel filling to comprehensive one-stop services involving food supplies, crew shifts, and ship repair and management.

Its supplies to freign ships reached $2.2 billion in 2019, up 107 percent year-on-year, with its services on par with advanced international suppliers such as those in Singapore. The figure for H1 this year was valued at $1.103 billion. 

Zhoushan is now home to more than 170 enterprises in the maritime service industrial chain, providing services related to ship supplies, ship management, and maritime technology. 

Three of the top four global oil inspection and testing agencies, including Leon Overseas, have established branches in the city, giving it the strongest oil detection capabilities in East China.

Among the world's top five ship management agencies, Wilhelmsen, BMS, and Beline have also established a business presence in Zhoushan. 

The total number of registered crews in Zhoushan now sits at 44,000, accounting for 6 percent of the national total. It trains more than 20,000 crews annually, accounting for about 10 percent of China's total and more than Shanghai and other major cities.

The annual output of the city's shipbuilding and repair sector is close to 20 billion yuan. Its ship repair and maintenance capacity accounts for half of China's total and 20 percent of the world total.