Zhanjiang, February 24 (China News Service) (Liang Sheng, Xie Xiaolin) Reporters learned from the Zhanjiang maritime authorities on the 24th that during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, the Qiongzhou Strait transported a total of 1.274 million passengers, 288,000 vehicles, and 59,143 new energy vehicles, representing year-on-year increases of 18.1%, 11.5%, and 67.1%, respectively.

　　According to reports, during the Spring Festival holiday, the passenger and vehicle transportation volume across the Qiongzhou Strait remained at a high level, with no prolonged or large-scale congestion. On the 23rd, the peak return travel day of the holiday, 180,587 passengers and 40,036 vehicles crossed the strait. The transportation of new energy vehicles was the highlight of this Spring Festival holiday, showing a "high at both ends, low in the middle" pattern, with concentrated inbound traffic before the holiday and dense outbound traffic after the holiday. The rapid growth not only reflects the increasing adoption of green travel concepts among the public but also poses new and higher demands on the strait's transportation support capabilities.

　　Meanwhile, the strait's roll-on/roll-off transportation capacity was adequately reserved, with a daily one-way capacity equivalent to approximately 26,000 fuel-powered cars. In optimal conditions, up to 7.6 trips per hour could be dispatched in one direction. This robust capacity reserve and efficient scheduling mechanism provided a solid guarantee for smoothly handling the post-holiday return travel peak.

　　To ensure the safety and smooth operation of water transportation in the Qiongzhou Strait during the first Spring Festival after customs clearance, the Zhanjiang Maritime Safety Administration focused on the core goals of "ensuring safety, promoting smooth operations, and optimizing services." Based on the actual conditions of the jurisdiction, they planned and deployed in advance, meticulously organized implementation, and introduced a series of precise and efficient service guarantee measures to strengthen the maritime safety defense line with dedication and responsibility. In terms of safety supervision, during the pre-holiday and holiday periods, law enforcement personnel conducted special safety inspections of roll-on/roll-off passenger ships, focusing on key systems and equipment such as fire safety, life-saving, and propulsion systems to ensure all facilities were in good working condition. They strictly verified crew qualifications and emergency response capabilities to ensure "ships are seaworthy, and crew members are competent." In response to the surge in new energy vehicle transportation, law enforcement personnel intensified on-site supervision, focusing on key aspects such as the loading positions, securing and fastening, battery status, and implementation of emergency response plans for new energy vehicles, strictly preventing "problematic vehicles" from boarding. Additionally, leveraging a "patrol ship + drone + smart supervision" integrated monitoring model, they implemented 24-hour round-the-clock patrols and monitoring of key waterways, anchorages, and harbor basins in the Qiongzhou Strait.

　　In terms of capacity assurance, shipping companies were guided to fully deploy 53 roll-on/roll-off passenger ships and 4 specialized new energy barges, operating in a "rest for people, not for ships" mode. By analyzing passenger and vehicle flow trends using big data, they dynamically adjusted dedicated new energy vehicle transport schedules and increased the frequency of trips during peak return periods, effectively improving the efficiency of new energy vehicle transportation.

　　In terms of convenience services, efforts were made to enhance information sharing and coordinated interaction with transportation and port units. Through channels such as official WeChat accounts and news media, real-time updates on ship arrivals, trip schedules, and port traffic conditions were provided, ensuring travelers were well-informed. This guided vehicles to enter ports in staggered time slots and batches, effectively alleviating port congestion and achieving safe, smooth, and efficient water transportation across the Qiongzhou Strait during the Spring Festival period. (End)