Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province is focusing on sectors such as shipping logistics, data services, and professional support to deepen institutional innovation in port and shipping services, promoting high-end and international development. As a result, the Ningbo-Zhoushan International Shipping Center has risen to 7th place globally, while the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has maintained its position as the world's top container port for 17 consecutive years. Key initiatives include the following:
First, deepening port and shipping logistics services. Leveraging the combined advantages of free trade zones, comprehensive bonded zones, and the port, Ningbo took the lead in piloting bonded LNG bunkering for international vessels. It introduced an innovative model featuring "multi-batch centralized declaration, single return loading, and continuous bunkering within the port," providing convenient energy supply services for international ships. Bunkering volume is projected to exceed 250,000 cubic meters by 2025. The city has also established an intelligent logistics collaboration platform, offering integrated services such as logistics scheduling and resource optimization to port and shipping enterprises. The platform has already attracted over 7,000 companies and 30,000 truck drivers, connecting 170,000 professionals in the port and shipping industry and building an efficient, collaborative port logistics ecosystem.
Second, innovating port and shipping data services. Ningbo is advancing the pilot program for open and interconnected logistics data, constructing a big data platform for shipping that integrates over 2 billion data points across six major categories. It has launched a series of indices, including the Ningbo Containerized Freight Index (NCFI) and the Maritime Silk Road Trade Index (STI), forming an integrated service system that spans "data-indices-scenarios-finance." A port and shipping logistics data trading center has been established to create an open and trustworthy data ecosystem, promoting large-scale transactions of data products, with trading volume expected to surpass 100 million yuan by 2025. Efforts are also underway to promote mutual recognition of trade credit standards between international and domestic platforms. Tra-deGo has been approved as a "white list" supplier by the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and has become an authorized issuer of verifiable Legal Entity Identifiers (vLEI) in the global bulk trade sector, fostering a new paradigm for digital trade transformation based on "digital identity plus business scenarios."
Third, strengthening derivative services in port and shipping. Ningbo is enhancing its high-end maritime legal service system by upgrading digital platforms such as "online arbitration" and "micro-arbitration," and creating an integrated international "litigation-arbitration-mediation" service program. It has set up 14 overseas legal service sub-centers, successfully mediating over 100 cases since 2023. An innovative "bonded plus leasing" export model has been implemented, enabling cross-border ship leasing transactions and facilitating yuan-denominated payments for shipbuilding costs and lease rentals. The city has also pioneered new shipping finance models by integrating maritime data with credit data, establishing an evaluation index system for "maritime credit data" to help shipping companies secure financing quickly. The outstanding balance of loans for the port and shipping economy is projected to exceed 100 billion yuan by 2025.
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