Just weeks after Taipei Port opened an express customs clearance warehouse to cater to growing e-commerce trade, Taiwan’s busiest container port Kaohsiung has followed suit, this time targeting shipments from Xiamen and Hong Kong.
Through an open tender, port operator Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) chose logistics company First Union Postal Transport to operate the facility, Kaohsiung Port Sea Freight Express Zone, which was unveiled on 3 June 2020.
An 170m2 warehouse was erected by TIPC, using environmentally friendly construction methods and materials.
After First Union’s successful tender it took advice from the Ministry of Finance and TIPC regarding the process of preparing the facility’s operations. These included the installation of two X-ray machines for dual-angle cargo imaging, two sets of synchronous display devices, conveyor belts, an anti-narcotics sniffer dog team, and nearly 100 sets of equipment for video surveillance.
First Union said it will operate two express import and export customs clearance lines, clearing seven to eight 40ft containers each day. In the medium term, the plan is to add two to four more lines.
Covid-19-related movement restrictions in many countries have resulted in consumer goods being purchased through e-commerce. At the same time, airlines have slashed flights as tourism has virtually ground to a halt. As a result, e-retailers are turning to seaborne deliveries for their goods.
TIPC noted that Japan, South Korea, China, and ASEAN countries have large, internet connected populations and recent economic growth has fuelled consumption making Asia the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world.
The express customs warehouse facility is close to wharves 63 and 64, which are operated by Taiwanese intra-Asia carrier Wan Hai Lines, and the terminals are linked to the Xinsheng Expressway, which connects to National Freeway 1, Provincial Highway 88 and National Freeway 3, reducing the cost and time of moving the goods.
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
