In the Bohai Bay, under a summer sky where the sea and horizon blend, two cargo ships are docked at a liquid chemical terminal in Huanghua Port. One vessel is unloading crude oil, while the other is loading refined oil products. "With crude oil coming in and finished products going out, local chemical enterprises no longer need to detour to ports like Tianjin," said Li Xiaorui, a staff member from the Development, Reform, and Technological Innovation Bureau of Cangzhou Bohai New Area Huanghua City. This has led to a significant reduction in corporate logistics costs.
Logistics serves as the link between production and consumption, and its cost directly impacts economic competitiveness. The green chemical industry cluster in Cangzhou Bohai New Area Huanghua City leverages the hub advantage of Huanghua Port. By adopting a "resource integration + intelligent scheduling" approach, it focuses on addressing challenges related to safety, cost, and efficiency in chemical logistics.
**Shared Terminals and Pipelines Reduce Cargo Transfer Costs**
On May 29th, at Huanghua Port, the vessel "Shengjiang 66" set sail for Ningbo Zhoushan Port, carrying 10,000 tons of refined oil produced by Hebei Xinhai Holding Group Co., Ltd.
Zhang Jiahui, Assistant to the Chairman of Xinhai Group, stated that compared to the previous routes via Tianjin Port or Qingdao Port, logistics costs per ton of product can now be reduced by 30 to 50 yuan. Last year alone, Xinhai Group saved over 100 million yuan in logistics expenses.
This substantial saving is a direct benefit of the shared logistics model.
Previously, Xinhai Group's logistics chain was lengthy. When purchasing crude oil, it required long-distance truck transport from Tianjin Port or Qingdao Port to the plant. For selling refined oil, besides truck and rail transport, products destined for southern clients had to be first transferred to ports outside the province for sea shipment.
"Frequent loading/unloading, long transport distances, and significant product loss kept logistics costs persistently high," explained Zhang Jiahui, outlining the reasons for the elevated costs.
In the past, despite having a port and a green chemical industry cluster, Cangzhou Bohai New Area Huanghua City lacked a usable liquid chemical terminal.
The distance from the local area to Tianjin Port is about 100 kilometers, and to Qingdao Port over 400 kilometers. "For truck transport, freight is calculated based on distance and tonnage. The farther the distance, the higher the cost," Zhang said. More troubling was that hazardous chemicals like crude oil and refined oil are volatile. Multiple handling operations not only increased costs but also posed significant safety risks.
Within the Port-City Industrial Park of Cangzhou Bohai New Area Huanghua City, nearly 40 green chemical enterprises are clustered, including 13 large-scale ones. The demand for nearby import/export facilities for liquid chemicals was extremely urgent.
Demand guided action, making a breakthrough imperative. The local government focused on the goal of "addressing shortcomings and strengthening supporting facilities," vigorously promoting the construction of a liquid chemical import/export base.
In 2023, Huanghua Port's first officially opened liquid chemical terminal, featuring two 50,000-ton-class berths, commenced operations. Furthermore, 60 storage tanks were progressively built on the terminal's land area. Through a leasing model, these provide convenient storage services for park enterprises, further完善 the logistics support system.
With the liquid chemical terminal in place, how could logistics costs be further reduced and efficiency improved? The answer: shared pipelines.
A long pipeline corridor connects the liquid chemical terminal to the petrochemical industry cluster within the Port-City Industrial Park. "This shared pipeline corridor has three layers, including both crude oil pipelines and public medium transmission pipelines. It meets the needs of park enterprises for 'crude in, products out,' significantly lowering corporate transport costs," Li Xiaorui explained.
Xinhai Group was among the first beneficiaries. They leased 10 storage tanks at the terminal. Crude oil is now directly piped to the plant, and refined oil can be piped back to the terminal for loading onto ships. The fully enclosed, continuous operation reduces "handling operations" and lowers logistics costs.
The shared pipeline corridor not only cuts costs but also enhances efficiency and safety. Pipeline transport has minimal loss, is stable and continuous, and avoids the volatility risks and operational hazards associated with multiple handlings of hazardous chemicals. In the future, all chemical enterprises in the park can utilize this "aerial artery" for low-cost transfer of raw materials and products.
Currently, at Huanghua Port, specialized terminals such as the Haiwei Liquid Chemical Terminal, Senxu Liquid Chemical Terminal, and a 300,000-ton-class crude oil terminal are accelerating their construction. Upon completion, these projects will form a "port terminal cluster" with the existing terminal, offering functional complementarity and gradient connectivity. This will provide comprehensive, professional shared unloading services for chemical vessels of different tonnages and cargo types, meeting the growing demand for bulk raw material imports and product exports from the industrial cluster.
**Shared Parking and Warehousing Enhance Safety and Efficiency in Hazardous Chemical Logistics**
Recently, truck driver Sun Jinbo slowly drove his hazardous chemical truck into the Wanxintai Hazardous Chemical Intelligent Logistics Integrated Service Center. He skillfully parked the vehicle in the unladen zone of the hazardous chemical vehicle parking lot, then entered the dispatch card room to complete the queuing process. Grabbing a cup of hot water, he rested安心 in the temporary waiting room, awaiting the factory's loading notification.
"The center's intelligent queuing system is directly connected to surrounding enterprises. I don't have to run around; I just wait for the call. It's much more convenient than before," Sun Jinbo said with a smile. His current task was to load liquefied petroleum gas at Hebei Lunte Chemical Group Co., Ltd. Since the service center began trial operations, he has noticeably experienced greater convenience in parking, queuing, dining, and other aspects.
In the past, vehicles waiting to enter chemical plants often formed long queues on roadside, causing inconvenience for drivers regarding meals, drinking water, restroom use, and also posing significant safety hazards.
To address this issue, Hebei Wanxintai Industrial Group Co., Ltd. constructed the Wanxintai Hazardous Chemical Intelligent Logistics Integrated Service Center. It provides 199 professional hazardous chemical parking spaces, equipped with monitoring systems, gas detection systems, sewage treatment management systems, and fire emergency management systems, comprehensively strengthening the safety防线.
"The shared parking lot makes queuing smarter, life more convenient, and vehicles safer. Everyone says it's good," Sun Jinbo's words echoed the sentiments of many hazardous chemical truck drivers.
Cai Yingsheng, General Manager of Wanxintai Group, stated that besides the shared parking facility, they are launching integrated hazardous chemical distribution services this year through shared warehousing.
Building their own warehouses is not cost-effective for chemical enterprises due to high costs and management risks. Recognizing the market potential, Wanxintai Group constructed high-standard hazardous chemical container stacking yards and warehouses. These can provide customers with a one-stop supply chain solution covering various hazardous chemical storage and stacking, logistics transport, shipping agency, customs inspection, and customs declaration agency services.
Currently, the center has obtained operational qualifications covering 88 types of hazardous chemicals across 7 major categories, including flammable liquids and corrosives. Its service scope radiates throughout the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and North China, aiding regional public logistics safety control.
Logistics follows industry movement, and industry drives logistics prosperity. Although the shared logistics model in Cangzhou Bohai New Area Huanghua City is in its early stages, the effects of cost-sharing and benefit-sharing among cluster enterprises through shared heavy assets like ports, pipelines, and warehouses are already becoming apparent. This will strongly promote high-quality regional economic development.
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