Every moment, hundreds of millions of goods are transported around the world, trade facilitation in addition to the sea, rail, road transport of these important technology and infrastructure support, there is an important "push" - container, so that goods around the world quickly, low-cost circulation of possible.

So what is a container? What information does the container contain? What are the customs requirements for containers carrying goods under customs supervision?

What is a container?

A container, or container, is a group of tools that can carry packaged or unpackaged goods for transportation and facilitate loading and unloading by mechanical equipment.

Container transport is an important transport mode in the multimodal transport of international trade goods. Because container transportation has the advantages of high standardization, good sealing, low breakage rate, intensification, scale, liner, low cost, good quality, etc., it greatly improves the safety and efficiency of cargo transportation.

Container azimuth names include front end, rear end, left side, right side, vertical and horizontal.

So how do we tell the difference?

Front end: generally refers to the end without the door

Back end: generally refers to the end of the door

Left side: From the back end of the container to the front end, the left side

Right side: From the back end of the container to the front end, the right side

Vertical: indicates the front and rear directions of a container

Horizontal: Perpendicular to the vertical direction

Let's get to know the name of each part of the container:

Container door end parts Name:

How much information do you know about the container?

Container labels include the main code, serial number, and check number for managing containers. Size and Type Code Indicates the size and type of the container.

Each container has its own "ID number", composed of the main box code, serial number and check number, are unique, convenient for us to manage the container.

Box main code: is the container owner's code, composed of 4 capital letters, the first three determined by the box owner, the fourth is the letter "U".

Serial number: The serial number, also known as the container number, consists of six Arabic digits.

Check number: After the box number, it is represented by a 1-digit Arabic number and is framed to make it more eye-catching. The purpose is to use the computer to check the correctness of the main code and the case number record, and the accuracy of the case number can be verified by complex calculation.

How to distinguish the container size?

The 4 digits below the case number represent the type and size of the case:

① The first digit represents the size, 2 is 20 feet, 4 corresponds to 40 feet, and L represents 45 feet.

② The second digit represents the height, 2 represents the non-tall box, and 4 represents the tall box.

③ The third bit indicates the box type, such as G1, U1, R1, V1, T1 and so on.

What about the container weight information?

MAX.GROSS (rated weight) : Also known as maximum gross mass or gross weight, represents the maximum allowable total mass of the container design.

TARE (self-weight) : is the mass of the container in the empty state.

The above key information is usually indicated in both kilogram (kg) and pound (lb) units, such as "MAX GROSS 24000kg 52920lb" and "TARE 2300kg 5070lb".

NET: Indicates net weight or payload (the maximum weight of cargo allowed to be loaded).

CU.CAP. : represents the cube, that is, the content product of the cabinet.

What are the major container companies in the world, do you know?

COSCO: COSCO Shipping, OOCL: East Overseas, MSC: Mediterranean, MSK: Maersk, CMA: CMA, YML: Yangming Shipping, EMC: Evergreen, HMM: Korea Modern Shipping, SIN: Sinoglobal Shipping, HPL: Hapellloyd, CMA: CMA, SITC: Haifeng International

So, what are the regulatory requirements of the customs?

According to the Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Supervision of Containers and Containerized truck cars used for the loading of goods under Customs Supervision (Order No. 110 of the General Administration of Customs), container operators, carriers and applicants must meet the following requirements:

Containers must be fitted with customs approved licence plates

(1) Containers manufactured in China can apply for a license approved by our customs, and can also apply for a license approved by foreign customs authorities in relevant countries outside China that have joined the United Nations "Container Customs Convention 1972".

(2) Containers manufactured outside China may apply for the approval license of our customs.

(3) When the container is put into operation, it shall be installed with a license approved by the customs, and a serial number shall be marked on the specified position outside the box.

The General Administration of Customs authorized the China Classification Society to handle the unified container of China's customs approval license.

1. If the owner of the container manufactured in China applies for the license approved by the Customs, the China Classification Society shall, in accordance with the standards stipulated by the General Administration of Customs, review the container drawings and conduct physical inspection in accordance with the provisions. If the inspection is qualified, the Certificate of Approval for the design according to the type or the Certificate of Approval after the production is made shall be issued.

2. If the owner of a container manufactured overseas applies for a license approved by the Chinese Customs, the manufacturer or owner shall submit the relevant drawings of the container, and issue the Certificate of Approval after completion after examination and on-site confirmation by the China Classification Society.

3. After maintenance, if the characteristics of the container change, the owner or applicant of the container must remove the customs approval license, and shall submit a written application for inspection to the China Classification Society, and re-apply for the customs approval license.

Inbound and outbound control

(1) When the means of transport carrying containers enter or leave the territory, the operator or his agent shall transmit to the Customs the electronic data of the relevant cargo manifest (manifest) in accordance with Customs regulations.

(2) When a container is imported or exported as a cargo, whether it is loaded or not, the consignee or consignor concerned or his agent shall complete the customs declaration formalities in accordance with the import or export cargo.

(3) In accordance with the provisions of the Customs, regardless of whether the container is loaded with goods, the Customs permits temporary entry and exit, the operator or its agent need not separate the box to the Customs declaration procedures.

(4) Containers temporarily entered into China shall be transported out of China within 6 months from the date of entry. If the goods cannot be shipped out on time due to special circumstances, the operator shall submit an application for extension to the Customs for temporary entry, which may be extended upon the approval of the Customs, but the extension period shall not exceed 3 months, after which the import and tax formalities shall be completed with the Customs in accordance with regulations.

Containers that have been registered at the Customs in accordance with the provisions of Article 22, paragraph 1, of the Measures of the Customs of the People's Republic of China for the Control of Containers and Containerized Freight Cars Used for the Loading of Goods under Customs Control shall not be subject to the time limit specified in the preceding paragraph when entering or leaving the country.