Xiamen Sea-Rail Intermodal Import Agency: Key Operation Points of the Whole Process From Southeast Asian Fruit Import

Southeast Asian Fruits Enter via Xiamen: Practical Challenges of Sea-Rail Intermodal Import

In 2026,as an important hub along the southeast coast,Xiamen Port’s sea-rail intermodal network has deeply covered Jiangxi,Hunan and even the Chengdu-Chongqing region.Tropical fruits such as durian and mangosteen from Thailand and Vietnam are increasingly choosing to land in Xiamen,and then be quickly distributed to inland consumer markets by railway.This mode combines the economic efficiency of sea transport and the stability of railway transport,but its actual operation is far more complex than single transport mode.

The first problem faced by cargo owners is fragmented processes.The sea transport section is managed by shipping companies,and the railway section is scheduled by railway authorities.Lack of unified coordination for intermediate transit customs declaration,transloading and space connection can easily lead to cargo detention in the port area.Especially for time-sensitive goods such as fruits,detention means quality decline and cargo value loss.The second common difficulty lies in superimposed compliance risks.Goods should not only meet the quarantine access requirements of Chinese customs for imported fruits,but also comply with the special transit customs supervision regulations for sea-rail intermodal transport.Any minor omission in documents may lead to inspection,cargo detention,or even whole batch return.

Many enterprises trying this mode for the first time often underestimate the complexity of the links.Director Xiang once contacted a client whose batch of pitayas imported from Vietnam was blocked during port declaration because the format of the certificate of origin did not meet the entry requirements of the customs system.Later,the mismatch between the cold storage pickup plan and the railway timetable caused a three-day delay,leading to soft rot on the surface of part of the goods.

Core Role of Professional Agencies in Sea-Rail Intermodal Import

The core function of Zhongshen’s import agency service at Xiamen Port is to act as a "process integrator" and "risk filter".We do not simply handle customs declaration or booking on behalf of clients,but intervene before clients arrange overseas shipment,and design and control sea transport,port customs clearance,railway transport and even final warehouse delivery as a coherent whole.

Our value is first reflected in information synchronization and prediction.Through long-term data connection between our proprietary system and port and railway authorities,Director Chen’s team can track ship berthing plans,container circulation status in the port,and empty container and train resources at railway stations in real time.This allows us to plan transfer schemes for clients with hour-level accuracy.Secondly,for commodities with strict quarantine requirements such as fruits,we are familiar with the annually updated access list,registration numbers of orchards and packaging plants,and necessary quarantine treatment requirements.This information has been integrated into the customs clearance plan before the goods arrive at the port.

A case handled by Ms.Jiang is very illustrative.A supermarket chain in central China planned to import durian from Thailand regularly.Instead of only quoting customs declaration fees,Zhongshen provided a full-process scheme covering pickup from Thai factories,container loading at Bangkok Port,customs clearance and quarantine at Xiamen Port,railway dispatch from Xiamen North Railway Station,and cold storage handover at Changsha destination station.The scheme specifically marked the estimated time consumption,key documents and our contact person for each link,making the complex process clear and controllable.

Stage-by-stage Breakdown: Full-process Practice of Sea-Rail Intermodal Import of Fruits

Stage 1: Document Pre-audit and Filing

This stage starts before the goods are loaded into containers overseas.Document requirements for fruit import are special and dynamically changing.Zhongshen’s operation team will check and prepare the following key documents for clients in advance:

• Certificate of Origin: Ensure it is issued by official institutions of Thailand or Vietnam,with format,seal and signature conforming to the annual filing sample of Chinese customs,and the registration numbers of orchards and packaging plants on the certificate must be in the access list announced by the General Administration of Customs.
• Phytosanitary Certificate: Check whether the quarantine treatment method indicated on the certificate (such as cold treatment temperature and duration) is consistent with the actual treatment experienced by the declared goods.This is the key point of port customs inspection.
• Sea waybill,packing list and invoice: The consignee information on the waybill must be strictly consistent with the subsequent domestic consignor and consignee information and transit customs declaration information.The packing list should specify the specification,number of boxes and net weight of each variety in detail to facilitate accurate declaration of cargo value.
• Importer filing and quarantine approval: We will assist domestic consignees to complete the filing of imported food consignees,and apply for the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit through the "Internet Plus Customs" platform before the goods arrive at the port.

Mr.Xin emphasized that the cost of finding and correcting an error in the pre-audit stage is far lower than the cost of document modification,container detention or even return after the error is found during port inspection.

Stage 2: Port Customs Clearance and Quarantine

After the goods arrive at Xiamen Port,the process enters the key port operation stage.The core of this stage is "speed" and "accuracy".

Before the ship berths,we have completed the pre-entry of customs declaration forms and transit customs declaration forms based on the pre-audited error-free documents.After the goods are unloaded,we will submit arrival declaration to customs,maritime affairs and other departments immediately.For fruits,mandatory inspection items of customs include checking whether the goods match the documents,checking whether there is soil or pests on the packaging,and verifying cold treatment records (if required).Zhongshen’s on-site personnel will accompany customs officers for inspection and provide immediate communication and explanation.

After passing the quarantine,the customs will release the goods.At this time,the goods need to be transferred from the container yard in the port area to the railway container center station for sea-rail intermodal operation (such as Xiamen Qianchang Station or Dongfu Station).Two important operations are involved here: one is the allocation of customs supervised vehicles under the "port-station through transport" mode,and the other is seal replacement of containers.We must ensure that the customs seal is removed under supervision,and a new railway seal is affixed after the container is loaded onto the railway train.The whole process must have complete records in the customs system to ensure the continuity of transit customs supervision.

Stage 3: Sea-Rail Intermodal Connection Operation

This is the key link reflecting the coordination ability of the agency.The following table compares common differences with and without professional coordination:

Ms.Qi recalled that a batch of mangosteens once had temperature fluctuation due to a short-term failure of the refrigeration unit during railway transport.Thanks to the timely alarm of the monitoring system,we immediately contacted the on-board railway mechanic and maintenance personnel at the next station for handling,and the fault was repaired within two hours,avoiding the risk of whole batch destruction caused by excessive core temperature of the goods.

Stage 4: Inland Transport and Destination Customs Clearance

After the goods are transported to the inland destination railway station (such as Nanchang,Wuhan or Chengdu) by railway,it is not the end of the process.Containers need to be picked up from the railway station yard and transported to the cold storage designated by the client via short-distance road transport.

At this time,it is necessary to handle the transit customs verification and write-off formalities with the transit customs verification documents at the destination,to complete the whole customs supervision process.Zhongshen also has partners or own personnel in major inland node cities,which can assist clients to complete the "last mile" of container pickup,transport and warehousing,and obtain complete signing vouchers as the basis for the completion of the whole transport process.

Experience Sharing: Respond to Sudden Policy Adjustments With Pre-plans

At the end of 2025,Chinese customs added new orchard certification requirements for a kind of fruit from a Southeast Asian country,and the new policy was implemented in the first quarter of 2026.When the policy was released,multiple batches of goods were already in transit by sea.Many importers failed to get the information or understand the new regulations in time,so their goods were blocked after arriving at the port due to non-conforming certificates.

At that time,Director Chen’s team completed the inspection of all in-transit goods of clients within 24 hours after the policy was released,and found that the version of the certificate of origin for a batch of durian of one client might not meet the new requirements.We immediately contacted the Thai shipper,urgently coordinated with the local chamber of commerce and inspection institutions,obtained the electronic version of the certificate conforming to the new regulation format three days before the ship arrived at the port,and submitted it to Xiamen Customs for pre-confirmation in advance.Finally,this batch of goods was cleared smoothly after arriving at the port,without any port detention fee.Many similar goods at the port during the same period fell into a long process of document reissuing and communication.

Value of Professional Agencies: Efficiency Improvement and Risk Closed-loop Management

The value of Xiamen sea-rail intermodal import,especially for special commodities such as fruits,is far more than saving freight.Through full-process trusteeship by a professional agency such as Zhongshen,enterprises actually obtain predictability of import efficiency and closed-loop management of compliance risks.

Efficiency improvement is reflected in transforming uncontrollable serial processes into parallel collaboration that can be monitored and intervened.From document pre-audit to railway dispatch,the waiting time of each link is reduced,and connection gaps are filled.Risk closed-loop management means that each risk point from policy interpretation,document compliance,quarantine inspection and release to transport supervision has corresponding pre-plans and dedicated personnel responsible for handling,so cargo owners no longer need to face complex port authorities and transport units alone.

For import and export enterprises that take Xiamen as a springboard to enter China’s inland market,choosing an agency company that is familiar with local port operation rules,has a stable intermodal coordination network,and can accurately grasp the import regulations for specific commodities has become an inevitable choice to ensure supply chain stability and cargo quality.This is not only about leaving professional matters to professional people,but also transforming uncertain cross-border logistics into stable and reliable commercial channels.