Three refrigerated squid carriers from Zhoushan, an island city in East China's Zhejiang province, successfully registered in the European Union (EU) on Aug 8, local media reported.

"This is the first time China has registered refrigerated squid carriers in the EU," said Chen Bin, secretary-general of the Zhoushan Ocean Fisheries Association.

He added that the successful registration of the refrigerated squid carriers is of great importance to improving the international competitiveness of China-produced squid and makes it more convenient to export squid products from China to the EU.

The EU is strict when it comes to importing distant-water catches, as it requires fishing boats, transport ships, and processing plants from other countries to register before their distant-water catches are allowed to enter EU countries.

Two of the three refrigerated squid carriers belong to Zhoushan Ningtai Ocean Fisheries Co LTD. Yu Qianchao, general manager of Ningtai, said that the two carriers can now export squid directly to the EU, and the price per metric ton will be 300 yuan ($43.22) to 500 yuan higher than before.

According to Zhoushan Customs, Zhoushan currently has 92 boats registered in the EU, including 38 for tuna fishing, two for shipping refrigerated tuna, 49 for squid fishing, and three for shipping refrigerated squid.