Guangzhou Port Launches China’s First Offshore Direct Crude Transfer

What changed

Guangzhou Port has launched China’s first imported-crude “direct pickup at anchorage” operation at Sanmen Island. On November 10, the super-large tanker Harbour Splendor transferred 30,000 tonnes of crude under Huangpu Customs supervision before sailing to Huizhou.

The move also revives Guangzhou’s anchorage crude-import operations after 15 years, creating a sea-based transfer route toward refining facilities in southern China.

Why it matters

The practical change is simple: crude can now begin moving from a deep-draft tanker while it is still offshore, instead of waiting for the vessel to reach a berth it may be unable to use.

Harbour Splendor carried about 270,000 tonnes. Its size and draft made direct berthing difficult, while Sanmen Island’s anchorage offered suitable water depth near the Guangzhou and Huizhou refining bases. Once 30,000 tonnes were transferred, the tanker’s draft fell enough for later port operations.

Customs supervision moved offshore too. Officials handled inspection, release, sampling and transfer through a single boarding and release process. Sampling and cargo movement could happen in parallel, so the operator did not have to wait for laboratory results before starting the transfer.

Sinopec’s Guangzhou branch estimates the arrangement can save two to three vessel days and more than 10 million yuan per tanker. That figure is an operator estimate, not an independently verified industry result, but it shows where the value lies: making very large crude carriers useful even when the final berth cannot receive them fully.

Huangpu Customs used the same anchorage model for more than 8.8 million tonnes of bulk commodities between January and October, with a total value above 170 billion yuan, up 15.7% from a year earlier. Whether the approach becomes routine for more crude importers remains to be seen.