A freight train carrying containerised tank units filled with crude oil departed from the Kuitun railway station in Xinjiang on September 2nd, heading for the Jinlingzhen station in Shandong province. This journey signifies the successful completion of the first trial shipment of China's initial batch of crude oil tank containers, marking a significant innovation in the country's crude oil transport model.

The newly deployed crude oil tank containers are standardised pressure vessels that ensure fully sealed transportation throughout the entire journey. This approach simultaneously reduces crude oil evaporative losses, measurement discrepancies, and the risk of contamination, thereby offering enhanced protection for both the quantity and quality of the oil products.

Xinjiang boasts abundant oil and gas resources, creating a strong demand for the outward shipment of crude oil. In the past, rail transport of crude oil primarily relied on specialised railway tank cars, a method that was limited by numerous transhipment procedures and restrictions on where loading and unloading could occur.