Amid holiday, duty calls at Dalian ports

Police keep busy inspecting vessels during Spring Festival

Police serving at the entry and exit frontier inspection station in Dalian, Liaoning province, kept working as usual during the Spring Festival holiday, ensuring the clearance of inbound and outbound vessels at the 37 docks situated along the city’s 2,211-kilometer-long coastline.

“We always arrive at the dock in advance to await the vessels and conduct border inspections as soon as they dock,” said Yu Lu, who was on duty at the Dalianwan fishing port in Ganjingzi district on Feb 13, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

She and two colleagues carried out routine checks of the documents of several foreign crew members aboard Kopcakob, a Russian longdistance seafood cargo vessel.

They presented the seamen with

Chinese New Year decorations such as the Chinese character fu, which means good fortune, as well as couplets and lanterns. “The traditional decorations are well received. We want them to experience the festive atmosphere, too,” said Yu, deputy captain of the station’s second team.

Carrying 9,000 metric tons of frozen cod, the vessel arrived in Dalian from Vladivostok, Russia, on Feb 10. As it was being unloaded, goods were also being carted off another Russian seafood cargo ship docked at the wharf. Despite Spring Festival, operations at the wharf continued around the clock.

“Liaoyu’s deep-water wharf is one of the largest bulk frozen fish distribution wharves in China. More and more imported seafood such as king crabs, snow crabs, cold-water shrimp and flounder are making their way from here to the tables of domestic consumers,” said Huo Yinghua, deputy director of the dispatch room at

Dalian Liaoyu Group’s port company.

“Since the approach of Spring Festival, the volume of vessels at our port has significantly increased. Border officials worked to ensure that the speed of vessel clearance remained unaffected by the holiday,” Huo said.

Twenty kilometers away at Dayaowan port in Dalian Jinpu New Area, the Dalian container terminal was also bustling.

At the port, Tian Qirui and his seven colleagues from the station’s fourth team conducted inspections, verified and released 19 inbound and outbound vessels on Jan 15.

Tian, deputy captain of the team, stated that during Spring Festival, they verified around 10 inbound and outbound vessels daily, slightly fewer than usual. “However, in cases of severe weather such as heavy fog, which prevents docking, we sometimes have more than 20 vessels waiting to dock, and we need to handle them without delay once conditions permit,” he said.

Tian mentioned that in the police force, there is a saying: While the people celebrate the festival, the police keep working. During the holiday season, it is even more crucial for the police to stand guard and ensure service and security.

“Working during the festival has become routine for us,” Tian said.

There are 10 duty teams with the Dalian entry and exit frontier inspection station, along with two border inspection patrol boat duty teams. Whether during regular days or holidays, they strive to maximize the efficiency of vessel clearance.

Statistics from the station show that it cleared more than 12,000 vessels last year. Last month, over 1,100 were cleared.

Officers from the station’s fourth team conduct an inspection at a port for container vessels in Dalian on Feb 15. Yu Lu (middle), deputy head of the station’s second team, and officer Han Ruiqi check a foreign vessel’s entry documents on Feb 13.

PHOTOS BY ZOU HONG / CHINA DAILY Kopcakob, Police officers Fu Yunlong (front) and Xu Jinzhen from the entry and exit frontier inspection station in Dalian, Liaoning province, board a Liberian container vessel for an inspection at a port on Feb 15. Officers Zhang Sheng (second from right) and Zhang Xin from the station’s second team talk with crew members during an inspection on a Russian long-distance seafood cargo vessel, on Feb 13. Officers pose with the foreign seamen with Chinese New Year decorations at a port on Feb 13.

Left: Policemen conduct a border inspection at a port in Dalian on Feb 13. Right: Zhang Sheng (second from right) and Zhang Xin check bags of frozen fish on a Russian vessel on Feb 13 in Dalian.

From left: