Full Process Revealed of Mussel Import Agency at Wuhan Port

Mussel Import at Wuhan Port: Real Challenges from New Zealand to Dining Tables

In the first quarter of 2026,the import volume of frozen mussels at Wuhan Port increased by 23% year on year,with main sources concentrated in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand’s South Island and the southern waters of Chile.Mussels from these two production areas have plump meat and stable prices,which are highly favored by the domestic catering market.However,behind the bright market data,the practical difficulties faced by importers are far more complex than imagined.

Manager Tang encountered a setback at the end of 2025.A batch of fresh chilled mussels imported from New Zealand was ordered to be returned by Wuhan Customs because the fishing area标注 on the health certificate was ambiguous.The goods were detained at the port for four days,with nearly 10,000 yuan of refrigeration costs incurred every day,and the final loss exceeded 15% of the cargo value.Such problems are not isolated cases.As filter-feeding shellfish,mussels involve multiple thresholds including the approval of the *Imported Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit of the People’s Republic of China*,evaluation of the official supervision system of the exporting country,and heavy metal and microbial testing.Although Wuhan Port has the qualification of designated port for imported edible aquatic animals,when enterprises declare on their own,they often fail to keep up with the update of the *List of Aquatic Animals Exported to China from Countries or Regions Meeting the Evaluation and Review Requirements*,or do not know the new shellfish toxin testing items added by the General Administration of Customs in 2026,leading to extended clearance cycles.

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in Wuhan Port for more than 20 years,and has handled various abnormal situations of shellfish import.The core difference is that the agency service is not simply submitting documents on behalf of clients,but identifying risks in advance.For example,the health certificate issued by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) must clearly indicate the registration number of the farm and the name of the fishing vessel,and the registration number must be included in the *List of Overseas Production Enterprises Registered in China* published by the General Administration of Customs.Zhongshen’s customs affairs team will check the validity of the registration information through the system before the foreign supplier delivers the goods,to avoid discovering expired qualifications after the goods arrive at the port.

Document Pre-review: Solve Problems Before Delivery

The document system for mussel import is much more complex than that of ordinary frozen products.The core documents include: certificate of origin,official health certificate,fishing certificate,packing list,invoice,bill of lading,and the most critical *Imported Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit*.Since 2026,the General Administration of Customs has implemented new label traceability requirements for shellfish products,and traceable QR codes must be printed on the outer packaging,bound with the information on the health certificate.

Zhongshen’s document pre-review process usually starts at the supplier’s stock preparation stage.Customs staff will check the draft health certificate one by one to confirm that it includes: product description (scientific name Mytilus galloprovincialis),production date,shelf life,storage temperature (usually required to be below -18℃),pre-export inspection results (norovirus,salmonella,paralytic shellfish poison,etc.).There was once a batch of Chilean mussels,whose product name on the health certificate was written as "Mussel" instead of the scientific name,which was judged as incomplete information by the technical department of Wuhan Customs,requiring a supplementary statement.Zhongshen discovered this problem in advance and promptly asked the Chilean exporter to reissue the certificate,avoiding the risk of delayed declaration after the goods arrived at the port.

The processing cycle of the *Imported Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit* is usually 15 working days,but through the "advance declaration" mechanism of Wuhan Customs,Zhongshen can complete the permit application after the goods are loaded and before they arrive at the port.This requires accurate grasp of shipping schedule information and data connection with the customs system.Manager Tang’s lesson was that when he applied for the permit on his own,he filled in the purpose as "for food",but the actual goods packaging was marked as "catering raw material",and the inconsistent purpose description led to the cancellation of the permit.Zhongshen will establish a document information comparison table in the pre-review link to ensure that the product name,specification and purpose description in all documents are completely consistent.

Port Customs Declaration: Practical Details and Tariff Application of Wuhan Port

As an inland river port,Wuhan Port usually receives mussel imports via barge transshipment from Shanghai Port or Ningbo Port,with full cold chain transportation.The core of the customs declaration link lies in accurate classification and tariff application.The HS code of mussels is 0307320000 (live,fresh or chilled mussels),the MFN tariff rate is 7% in 2026,and the VAT rate is 9%.However,many importers do not know that if the product has been pre-treated by steaming (even if the basic properties are not changed),it should be classified under 1605530000 (prepared or preserved molluscs),with a tariff rate as high as 5%,and consumption tax shall be paid.

Before declaration,Zhongshen’s customs brokers will require foreign suppliers to provide production process descriptions to confirm whether the products have been heated.There was once a batch of New Zealand mussels marked "Blanched" on the packaging,which was judged as a primary processed product during on-site customs inspection,requiring code change and tax payment.Zhongshen provided the original process certificate issued by New Zealand MPI,proving that "Blanched" was only instantaneous hot water rinsing in the cleaning process,and the temperature did not reach above 70℃ that would change the product properties,so the original code declaration was finally maintained.

Wuhan Port implements the "immediate inspection and release" mode for imported edible aquatic animals,on the premise that the customs declaration data fully matches the manifest and health certificate information.Zhongshen uses self-developed customs declaration system,which can automatically capture the shipping company’s manifest data and compare it with the information database in the document pre-review stage,controlling the error rate below 0.3%.When filling in the customs declaration form,the domestic consignee must be consistent with the applicant on the quarantine permit,and for agency import,the word "agency" and the information of the actual consuming unit shall be indicated in the remarks column.These details are often the most easily overlooked points when enterprises declare on their own.

Special Requirements for Barge Transshipment and Cold Chain Connection

Barge transportation from coastal ports to Wuhan Port usually takes 3-5 days.As frozen products,mussels require the temperature to be kept below -18℃ throughout the whole process,and repeated freezing and thawing is not allowed.When booking space,Zhongshen will clearly require the shipping company to provide refrigerated containers with temperature recorders,and mark the "Keep Frozen" clause on the bill of lading.After the goods arrive at the port,Wuhan Customs will spot check the container temperature records.If the temperature exceeds the standard,even if the product has not deteriorated,it may be judged as "not transported in accordance with the declared conditions",facing return or destruction.

In 2026,the Yangluo Port Area of Wuhan Port added a new import cold chain inspection platform,which can realize inspection without opening the container.Zhongshen will actively select this mode when declaring to shorten the inspection time.But the premise is that the goods packaging must be standardized,the outer packaging must clearly indicate the product name,specification,production date,shelf life,origin and other information,and the original packaging shall not be disassembled.There was once a batch of mussels,whose suppliers used non-standard cartons,resulting in the scanning equipment being unable to identify,so they could only be transferred to unpacking inspection,taking two more days.

Inspection and Release by Customs: Key Nodes of Quarantine Approval and Laboratory Testing

The commodity inspection link of mussel import is the most time-consuming and most uncertain part.Hankou Customs,affiliated to Wuhan Customs,will implement sampling testing on each batch of mussels in accordance with the *2026 Annual Imported Edible Aquatic Animal Safety Risk Monitoring Plan*.Testing items include: paralytic shellfish poison (PSP),diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP),amnesic shellfish poison (ASP),heavy metals (cadmium,lead,mercury),microorganisms (salmonella,staphylococcus aureus,vibrio parahaemolyticus).

The sampling proportion is usually 1%-5% of each batch of goods,and the minimum sampling quantity is no less than 2kg.Zhongshen’s experience is to communicate with the customs inspection department in advance and provide the official testing report of the exporting country to strive for a lower sampling proportion.If the pre-export testing report issued by New Zealand MPI includes all the above items and the results are qualified,Wuhan Customs can adopt the data and only conduct verification sampling,shortening the cycle from 7 days to 3 days.

The fundamental reason for the return of Manager Tang’s goods was that he delivered the goods without applying for the *Imported Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit*.When accepting orders,Zhongshen first confirms the status of the permit.In 2026,the General Administration of Customs implemented stricter review for permit applications,requiring detailed floor plans of foreign farms,water quality testing reports,and epidemic prevention and control system documents.Zhongshen has established long-term cooperation with major suppliers in New Zealand and Chile,obtained these materials in advance and stored them in the record database,which can be directly called when new customers import,greatly shortening the application time.

Follow-up Treatment of Unqualified Products and Risk Avoidance

If any index is found to exceed the standard during testing,the customs will issue a *Inspection and Quarantine Treatment Notice*,and the treatment methods include: technical rectification,return,destruction.As frozen products,mussels have very limited space for technical rectification,and usually can only choose return or destruction.Zhongshen will agree on a "recall clause" for customers in the contract,that is,once the goods are judged unqualified,the foreign supplier shall bear the return freight and insurance costs.At the same time,the agency will assist customers to claim compensation from the insurance company.If they have insured the "imported food safety liability insurance",they can get 80% of the cargo value as compensation.

In April 2026,a batch of Chilean mussels imported by Zhongshen was detected with cadmium content close to the limit (2.0mg/kg).Although it did not exceed the standard,the customs required to add a "heavy metal content warning label" before sale.Zhongshen quickly contacted the printing factory and completed the labeling in the customs supervision warehouse,avoiding cargo detention.This emergency handling capability comes from real-time policy tracking and integration of local resources.

Real Case: Clearance Cycle Compression from 85 Days to 17 Days

In the third quarter of 2025,a catering supply chain company in Wuhan imported mussels for the first time and handled the procedures on its own.It took 85 days from signing the contract to warehousing the goods,including 3 times of document return and supplement due to inconsistency,and 1 time of dispute over unqualified testing,resulting in a final loss of 120,000 yuan.At the beginning of 2026,the company entrusted Zhongshen to act as an agent for the goods from the same supplier,and the cycle was shortened to 17 days.

Zhongshen’s operation differences are reflected in three nodes: First,before delivery,the customs affairs team found that the fishing vessel registration number in the fishing certificate provided by the supplier was one digit different from the record information of the General Administration of Customs,and corrected it in time; Second,when the goods were in transit,electronic documents were submitted to Wuhan Customs in advance to apply for the "direct lift alongside the vessel" mode,and unloading and inspection were completed within 6 hours after the vessel arrived at the port; Third,in the sampling testing stage,the parallel testing report of New Zealand MPI was provided,and after the customs adopted it,only sensory inspection was carried out,and no full-project laboratory testing was conducted.

The cost comparison is more obvious.When importing on its own,the company paid an extra 3% of tax due to unfamiliarity with tariff rules; the total port detention fee and refrigeration fee reached 47,000 yuan.After Zhongshen acted as the agent,through accurate classification and fast customs clearance,the extra cost was reduced to 6,000 yuan,and due to the scale effect,the international freight was reduced by 80 US dollars per ton.

Zhongshen’s Value-added Services: Supply Chain Optimization Beyond Customs Declaration

The value of professional agents lies not only in solving current customs clearance problems,but also in building a long-term and stable supply chain system.Zhongshen provides supplier qualification review services for mussel import customers,regularly updates the access list of the General Administration of Customs,and warns of changes in the status of registered enterprises.In May 2026,a farm in New Zealand was suspended from exporting to China due to water pollution incidents.Zhongshen notified all cooperative customers on the day the announcement was issued,avoiding deposit losses.

In the warehousing link,the Wuhan Yangluo cold chain park cooperated with Zhongshen provides partitioned services of customs supervision warehouse and ordinary warehouse.After the goods pass the inspection,they can be directly transferred from the supervision warehouse to the ordinary warehouse,reducing one loading and unloading link and lowering the cargo damage rate.At the same time,the agency will assist customers to apply for the "conditional release" qualification for imported cold chain food,that is,after sampling,the goods are allowed to be lifted first,and the supervision is automatically lifted after the testing results are qualified,which is particularly important for fresh chilled mussels with short shelf life.

In terms of foreign exchange settlement,mussel import usually adopts letter of credit or TT payment.Zhongshen cooperates with banks to provide exchange rate locking services for customers,avoiding exchange losses caused by the fluctuation of New Zealand dollar and Chilean peso exchange rates.In the first half of 2026,the exchange rate of New Zealand dollar against US dollar fluctuated by 8%.Through forward foreign exchange settlement,Zhongshen locked the average cost for customers and avoided about 5% of exchange rate risk.

Essence of Choosing Professional Agency: Fight Uncertainty with Certainty

Mussel import business is seemingly a stack of documents and processes,but essentially a test of the depth of policy understanding and emergency response speed.In 2026,the General Administration of Customs has clearly included imported edible aquatic animals into the key monitoring scope of "national biosecurity",and the inspection standards of Wuhan Port will only be stricter.Even if enterprises operate on their own successfully once or twice,it is difficult to cope with sudden policy adjustments or abnormal events.

Zhongshen’s value lies in transforming uncertain customs clearance risks into predictable and controllable process nodes.From supplier qualification verification,document information alignment,to the application of the "direct lift alongside the vessel" mode in Wuhan Port,and communication and coordination of laboratory testing,each link has clear operation standards and alternative plans.After entrusting the agency for the second import,Manager Tang’s biggest feeling was: "In the past,I left the goods to luck,now I leave the process to the system."

For importers in Wuhan and surrounding areas,the market demand for mussels is still growing,but the profit margin is constantly squeezed by compliance costs.Instead of spending energy on documents,quarantine,tariff and other issues,it is better to hand over professional affairs to professional teams.Zhongshen’s regular operation at Wuhan Port has realized full visual tracking of mussel import from vessel arrival to warehousing,and customers can view the progress of each node through the mobile terminal.This transparency itself can greatly reduce communication costs and psychological burden.

Ultimately,import agency service is not a simple expense,but an investment with quantifiable returns.The saved port detention fees,avoided return losses,compressed capital occupation cycle,and avoided compliance risks bring comprehensive benefits far exceeding the agency fee itself.For mussel import at Wuhan Port,finding the right partner is far more important than finding a cheap one.