Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province has upgraded its bonded bunker oil dispatch system to boost oil supply. [Photo/WeChat account: china-zjftz]

Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province has upgraded its bonded bunker oil dispatch system to boost oil supply, local media reported on April 12.

Since the establishment of the bonded bunker oil filing center in Zhoushan commenced in 2017, the city has been improving its offshore refueling base and has also seen rapid increase in oil supply, securing the top spot in the country in terms of oil supply in 2018.

However, more problems also appeared, such as less anchorage grounds and low customs clearance efficiency.

To solve these problems, Zhoushan launched the bonded bunker oil dispatch system to improve the utilization rate of anchorage grounds and supervise bonded oil supply.

The system has such functions as customs clearance approval, real-time process monitoring, real-time data recording, and abnormal information notifications. It also enables paperless customs clearance.

"The biggest advantages of the system are its convenience, good service, and transparent market," said a staff member at Zhoushan International Shipping Agency Co, adding that they can check the result of customs clearance and the arrangement of refueling at available anchorage grounds in Zhoushan via the system.

The upgraded system has added client applications for shipowners, oil storage companies, and shipping companies respectively, as well as improved its data statistics function.

"Bonded bunker oil filing is a process involving different kinds of companies and the added client applications will be helpful to improve the efficiency of bonded bunker supply," said Ye Qingyu, an employee at the bonded bunker oil dispatch service center in Zhoushan.

Statistics showed that the system has guaranteed the filing of nearly 3.4 million metric tons of bonded bunker oil, while the utilization rate of local anchorage grounds has surged 54.7 percent since it began operation in 2019.