To chart strong tide head-high-level maritime services to help Putian water transport high-quality development.

This is a body of water full of hope, surrounded by Xinghua Bay, Meizhou Bay, and Pinghai Bay, where the surging vitality of ocean development flows endlessly. This is also a busy body of water, with fishing boats competing and giant ships weaving through, where the dream of connecting rivers and seas rises and resonates in the bays.

In the first half of 2026, the cargo handling volume at Putian's ports increased by 7.8%, container throughput grew by 31%, and the transshipment volume of iron ore to Taiwan rose by 69%. Behind these upward-moving figures is Putian's steadfast progress toward becoming a "100-million-ton mega port" and the maritime sector's commitment to safeguarding this ambition.

In recent years, the Putian Maritime Bureau has focused on the goal of becoming a "top-tier specialized branch of the Fujian maritime system" and has followed the "Five First-Class" work paths. It has strengthened the foundation for the safe development of waterway transportation in its jurisdiction, deeply integrated maritime regulatory services into the rise of Putian's ports and the upgrading of port-related industries, and ensured high-quality development of Putian's water transportation through high-level maritime services.

Addressing Root Causes: Safeguarding the Blue Seas with Safety

Originating from the mountainous terrain of the Daiyun Mountain Range, rushing through mountains and plains, and finally merging into the sea at Xinghua Bay, the Mulan River nourishes over 3.6 million residents of Putian and is regarded as the "mother river" by locals.

At the estuary of the Mulan River lies a naturally formed navigation channel. This area serves as both the traditional route for ships entering and exiting Sanjiangkou Port and an important site for local residents engaged in fishing and aquaculture for generations. The conflict between ship navigation and fishing activities has become a real challenge in coastal waterway management.

How can the livelihoods of fishermen and the development of shipping be balanced? The Putian Maritime Bureau has explored a path of collaborative governance—organizing consultation meetings with departments such as fisheries and the coast guard, proposing recommended routes and warning signs for the habitual navigation channel at the Mulan River estuary, widely promoting the recommended route rules, guiding fishermen to dismantle obstructive fishing nets and gear within a set timeframe, and conducting regular joint patrols and enforcement actions.

This "maritime + administrative + judicial" safety assurance approach for commercial and fishing vessels has effectively resolved the issue of obstructive fishing activities in the habitual navigation channel at the Mulan River estuary.

"The coastal waters of the East China Sea are interwoven with various activities, and safety management focuses on prevention at the source, proactive measures, and collaborative governance," said Fu Qiangying, Deputy Director of the Putian Maritime Bureau. In recent years, the bureau has strengthened safety fundamentals, achieving full coverage of "commercial and fishing vessel co-management" centers across all coastal counties and districts in Putian. It has also established Fujian Province's first "Puhai Yufeng" offshore wind power safety consortium, created cross-regional offshore safety special control zones, and enhanced maritime safety enforcement collaboration under the "Five Seas and One Shore" framework.

Since the beginning of this year, the Putian Maritime Bureau has optimized and implemented dedicated personnel and task forces, leadership accountability, and onboard supervision mechanisms. It has identified and addressed various maritime safety risks and hazards, achieving a 100% rectification rate. The bureau also pioneered a quarterly waterway traffic safety information notification mechanism, promoted the "Year of Strengthening Maritime Safety Foundations" initiative in Xiuyu District, and established responsibility mechanisms across ten areas, extending safety management to the grassroots level.

"We have continued to expand on the experience of creating the Pingtan-Putian offshore special control zone. To date, we have inspected over 40,000 vessels. We have established and implemented a 'Five Protections' governance system for typhoons, strong winds, heavy fog, flood seasons, and short-term hazardous weather, and promoted the improvement of short-term early warning mechanisms for passenger and ferry vessels in coastal counties and districts," explained Cai Haishun, Director of the Navigation Management Division (Command Center) of the Putian Maritime Bureau.

National priorities require safety as the foundation. A series of fundamental measures have continuously strengthened the coastal safety net in Putian, laying a solid foundation for the high-quality development of Putian's water transportation.

Hardcore Safeguarding: Ensuring Smooth Access to Rivers and Seas

In July this year, as the 400,000-ton vessel "Mingshang" smoothly departed from Berth 9 of the Luoyu Operations Area in the Dongwu Port Area of Meizhou Bay Port, the Putian Maritime Bureau successfully facilitated the consecutive berthing and departure of two 400,000-ton ultra-large iron ore vessels at the Luoyu Operations Area.

The safe berthing and departure of each giant vessel test not only the hardware capabilities of the port but also the hardcore strength of maritime support.

"Faced with the consecutive arrivals of ultra-large vessels, we implemented a 'one ship, one plan' and 'one ship, one file' approach, utilizing 'remote monitoring + maritime patrol boat escort + drone inspection,' and adopted a 'priority approval, priority inspection, priority navigation, priority berthing' mechanism. We maintained '24/7' on-duty services and online single-window processing, achieving 'berth upon arrival, departure upon unloading,'" explained Cai Haishun.

The routine safeguarding of ultra-large vessels is a microcosm of how the Putian Maritime Bureau ensures the smooth operation of bulk commodity waterway logistics chains and serves the broader development of water transportation in its jurisdiction. Focusing on the needs of port and shipping enterprises, the bureau has continuously optimized its regulatory service model, fully safeguarding the efficient operation of key routes such as iron ore imports and transshipments to Taiwan. It has also promoted the scaling and normalization of water-to-water transshipment and multimodal transport businesses, accelerating Putian's development into a strategic port city connecting rivers and seas.

In March this year, under the escort of the Putian Maritime Bureau, the vessel "Hengsheng XX," carrying 44 containers of ammonium sulfate, departed from Putou Port, was transferred by water to the Jiangyin Port Area in Fuqing, and then reloaded onto an international mainline vessel bound for Davao, Philippines. This marked the first export "water-to-water transshipment multimodal transport" pilot business implemented in Putian since the launch of the multimodal transport pilot policy this year, effectively reducing logistics costs for enterprises.

Innovative regulation ensures smooth operations, and optimized services promote development. In recent years, the Putian Maritime Bureau has supported the integrated development of core port areas, ensured 17 years of safe LNG transportation without accidents, supported the capacity expansion of Fujian Province's only 400,000-ton berth and the operation of a trillion-yuan industrial park terminal, and facilitated the transformation of "port flow" into "industrial growth."

Committed to benefiting enterprises, the Putian Maritime Bureau has implemented subsidy policies to attract shipping companies to develop in Putian, efficiently completed the first "one-stop" business process for ship departures, established a collaborative working mechanism between maritime and financial insurance sectors, and advanced the exploration of "maritime credit + financial insurance" innovations. It has also introduced ten measures to serve seafarers, creating a "Three-in-One" comprehensive service station for seafarers.

A series of practical measures to ensure smooth operations, optimize services, benefit enterprises, and warm the hearts of the people have continuously energized the development of port and shipping industries, building strong momentum for the "100-million-ton mega port."

Embracing Innovation and Sustainability: Governing the Blue Seas with Intelligence

In the waters of Pinghai Bay, atop the 100-meter-high offshore wind turbine towers, a set of 5G communication equipment is operating steadily.

In July this year, Fujian Province's first public mobile communication base station built on the platform of an offshore wind turbine was launched in Putian. The base station's signal covers the entire offshore areas of Pinghai Bay and Meizhou Bay, with a maximum coverage distance exceeding 50 kilometers.

"Previously, due to insufficient coverage by land-based base stations and the difficulty of building stations at sea, mobile signals would become intermittent once vessels moved away from the shore. In case of emergencies, it was impossible to report incidents promptly via mobile phones, and it was challenging to maintain real-time communication between ship scheduling and crew members," explained Yin Haiwei, Deputy Director of the Navigation Management Division of the Putian Maritime Bureau. "Now, with the normalization of 5G signal coverage in the sea areas, vessels can maintain uninterrupted communication throughout their journey, significantly improving emergency response efficiency and enhancing maritime safety and emergency handling capabilities."

The innovative attempt of "wind power + communication" has turned the once-impossible offshore 5G signal coverage into a reality. Based on the actual situation of a concentrated offshore wind power industry and vast nearshore regulatory waters in its jurisdiction, the Putian Maritime Bureau has creatively utilized the high-altitude resources of 100-meter offshore wind turbines, regularly conducted drone-based aerial and maritime patrols, and continuously expanded the breadth and depth of waterway monitoring.

The enhancement of intelligent monitoring capabilities has further translated into solid support for the development of emerging marine industries. The world's first wind-fishing integrated floating platform "Guoneng Sharing" has been put into operation, Fujian Province's first fishery-photovoltaic complementary power station project has been completed and connected to the grid, and the deep-sea intelligent fishery and tourism platform "Mintou Xiuyu No. 1" has successfully settled. Behind the implementation of these key projects is the proactive involvement and service of the Putian Maritime Bureau.

The wind comes from the sea, and the journey toward innovation and sustainability continues. New industries are emerging, and the "green story" of this sea area is being written. "We have shifted ship pollution prevention from 'special rectification' to 'regular legal governance,' fully protecting the blue seas and skies," said Chi Zhehong, Director of the Ship Supervision Division (Hazardous Materials and Pollution Prevention Division) of the Putian Maritime Bureau. The bureau has promoted the revision of the "Meizhou Island Protection and Management Regulations of Putian City," specifying requirements for "zero discharge" control of ship pollutants and mandatory shore power usage. It has also facilitated the deployment of regional anti-pollution emergency equipment depots in relevant sea areas, establishing a full-chain prevention and control system covering incident warning, rapid response, and ecological restoration.

With the tides rising in the three bays, dreams are being built in the deep blue. A modern maritime governance blueprint featuring safety, smooth operations, intelligence, and sustainability is gradually unfolding along the coast of Putian. Standing at the new starting point of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the Putian Maritime Bureau will be guided by the "Five First-Class" principles to safeguard the water transportation development of this strategic port city connecting rivers and seas.