Recently, under the supervision of Xiamen Haicang Customs, the international vessel “XIN DONG GUAN 14” docked at Haiyu Terminal in Xiamen Port was slowly refueled with 200 tons of low-sulfur marine fuel oil.
Similar scenarios have become routine in Xiamen Port, which is transforming into an international “fueling station” for ships. According to statistics from Xiamen Customs, from January to June this year, Xiamen Port provided bonded marine fuel oil to international vessels 416 times, a year-on-year increase of 6.12%, with a total refueling volume of 274,500 tons, up 16.37% year-on-year.
Bonded marine fuel oil supply (referred to as “bonded bunkering”) follows international conventions by providing tax-exempt fuel to internationally navigating vessels. The fuel used is either imported or domestically produced oil in a bonded state. Compared to regular fuel, bonded bunkering offers the advantage of exemption from tariffs, value-added tax, and consumption tax, significantly reducing operational costs.
Bonded bunkering is highly internationalized and serves as a core function of port support services, as well as a key indicator of a port’s comprehensive maritime service capabilities. For years, Xiamen Port has ranked 13th globally and 7th nationally in container throughput. The bonded bunkering business is closely tied to attracting international vessels, enhancing Xiamen Port’s competitiveness, and strengthening the Xiamen Southeast International Shipping Center.
Before February 2024, Xiamen Port had only two state-licensed bonded bunkering suppliers. With the joint efforts of Xiamen Customs and the local government, Xiamen Kunlun Fuel Oil obtained the first local license on February 1, 2024, and completed its first bonded fuel supply on February 26 of the same year. From January to June this year, the company supplied 92,200 tons of fuel, a 2.85-fold increase year-on-year, valued at $48.6106 million, up 2.17 times year-on-year.
Previously, fuel suppliers had to lease separate tanks for bonded warehouses and export supervision warehouses, resulting in high leasing costs, low warehouse utilization, and inefficient transfers, which became bottlenecks for business growth. On March 29 last year, Xiamen Customs launched a pilot program for “dual warehouse function integration,” allowing companies to lease a single tank to serve both bonded and export supervision purposes. Since the pilot began, Xiamen Port has refueled international vessels 769 times, supplying a total of 455,500 tons of fuel and saving companies 12.697 million yuan in costs.
