SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] Translated by Amy Zhong – December 27, 2016
Over 2,000 live Russian king crab were shipped from Vladivostok to the northern Chinese port of Dongning by truck earlier this month. It was the first time overland shipment from Russia to China’s northernmost province of Helongjiang was made.
Dongning’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau has finished the examination of crabs that were loaded onto delivery trucks from fishing boats in Vladivostok, Russia. They were delivered to Dongning seven hours later.
The city is developing into a designated import port of aquatic products, as part of a regional development plan.
The Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau worked with local government to build a 600-square-meter facility for inspection and quarantine. The facility is well equipped with technician and equipment.
Dongning is the first designated port for importing marine products in Helongjiang province and among the first approved by the AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine).
The crabs are being kept in a temporary storage pond, according to Zhou, the general manager for the import company Bosaidong.
The company invested 20 million yuan in building a seafood storage pond with an area of over 1,000 square meters. It also bought four delivery trucks and updated them to meet the requirements of Bureau. The facility is equipped with technicians and equipment for sea water circulation, temperature control and increasing oxygen content. The company has become the largest seafood importer and trader there.
The crab was sold to a buyer in Shanghai. Russian seafood used to enter China’s inland area by air or through such ports as Qingdao and Shanghai at higher costs, with lower quality and survival rates. With inland ports like Dongning, the survival rate is higher, while the cost is lower and the transportation time is shorter in seafood import.
Dongning plans to expand imports to include finfish, shrimp and other shellfish. It is expected to become the largest import port and distribution area of marine products in Helongjiang province.