At the bustling Changshu Port on the Yangtze River, a steady stream of massive vessels handles hazardous chemical transfers and booming vehicle export operations. Shang Shunli, the Deputy Captain of the Maritime Enforcement Division at the Changshu Maritime Safety Administration, has dedicated himself to frontline maritime oversight, focusing on vessel inspections, comprehensive hazardous chemicals management, complete vehicle exports, and the development of digital maritime infrastructure. Through collaborative governance, he has tackled the challenges of hazardous transport safety, leveraged institutional innovation to facilitate the export of Chinese-made goods, upgraded regulatory methods with digital technology, and safeguarded the river's safety through dedicated action.

Hazardous chemical water transport presents high risks; an explosion or fire could have catastrophic consequences. To mitigate these significant safety threats, Shang proactively accepted responsibility by advancing a two-year campaign to enhance the safety of hazardous chemical water transport and fostering a collaborative safety governance framework involving multiple departments and market participants. He took the lead in bringing together 12 regulatory bodies and 25 port and shipping enterprises to establish a hazardous chemical water transport safety alliance in Changshu. This initiative introduced a "three-member co-governance" grassroots oversight system and a "mainstream-tributary linkage" mechanism for cross-jurisdictional joint law enforcement, integrating the entire chain of terminal operations, shipping management, vessel operations, and administrative oversight to dismantle regulatory barriers.

Concurrently, he created five key safety information databases covering terminals, shipping companies, vessels, crew, and cargo types. He guided enterprises in developing four essential safety management manuals and implemented meticulous management strategies with tailored plans for each enterprise, terminal, and cargo category. The team identified a checklist of 396 hazardous risk points and rolled out a credit-based risk grading system for shipping companies, categorized by four risk levels. In response to the growing export of "new three" items such as energy storage equipment and new energy vehicles, Shang proactively assisted enterprises in obtaining qualifications for handling Class 9 dangerous goods and carved out dedicated export channels. This effort enabled the port to add 56 new hazardous cargo types, significantly boosting its throughput capacity. This governance model was recognized as one of the top ten exemplary cases in Suzhou's social credit system construction. During the two-year special campaign, over ten million tons of hazardous chemicals transited safely through Changshu Port, achieving the targets of zero graded accidents, zero vessel sinkings or deaths, and zero leakage pollution, thereby firmly securing the port area’s hazardous transport safety line.

As the fuel-powered vehicle export business at Changshu Port grew rapidly, issues such as vague industry standards, fragmented oversight, and low turnover efficiency for enterprises began to surface. Breaking away from the traditional mindset of prioritizing regulation over service, Shang innovatively developed a three-dimensional working mechanism—"guide lists, joint confirmation forms, and order-based services"—to clear bottlenecks for vehicle exports and support the global voyage of domestic vehicles. The guide list establishes compliance standards by consolidating domestic and international maritime regulations and shipping rules into the "Changshu Port Fuel Vehicle Export Guide," supplemented by standardized inspection checklists. This clarifies the responsibilities of terminals, freight forwarders, and shipping vessels, providing enterprises with clear operational guidelines and mitigating the risk of non-compliant exports from the outset.

The joint confirmation form strengthens the safety loop. An innovative "Vehicle Transport Loading Confirmation Form," jointly confirmed by the terminal, vessel, agent, and cargo inspection parties, has been adopted. Adhering to a principle of being inclusive yet prudent, with strict management and a one-vote veto, it covers the entire spectrum from cargo pre-declaration and yard storage to terminal loading and ocean transport. This system consolidates the safety responsibilities of all four parties, ensuring full traceability and risk control throughout operations. The order-based service model focuses on enterprise support, offering customized solutions for each enterprise. By catering to the distinct needs of cargo owners, terminals, and freight forwarders, Shang conducts upfront policy briefings, risk assessments, and process optimization guidance. These proactive services have effectively reduced vessel dwell time at the port and enhanced terminal efficiency. To date, over 20,000 fuel-powered vehicles have been successfully exported, generating trade value exceeding ten billion yuan.

Recognizing the shortcomings of traditional regulatory approaches, such as insufficient dynamic monitoring and the difficulty of uncovering hidden hazards, Shang has embraced digitalization and intelligence as key breakthroughs for grassroots oversight, advancing smart regulatory construction on all fronts. To address the pervasive issue of concealed or falsely declared packaged dangerous goods, he promoted an information-sharing mechanism among the maritime authority, terminals, and customs. Regular container inspections and a comprehensive tracking system for illegal activity leads have been established, enabling early identification and handling of dangerous cargo risks. He has also driven the deployment of AI-powered intelligent monitoring systems and ship-shore safety inspection applications within shipping companies, along with the installation of smart devices to create a more robust maritime sensing network. To boost the digital proficiency of industry personnel, Shang organized specialized digital regulatory training, hosted ship-shore safety management skills competitions, led teams to advanced ports for benchmarking, and invited industry experts for practical instruction, raising the operational capabilities of both maritime enforcement officers and terminal managers.

The mighty river flows on, and so does Shang Shunli’s dedication to hands-on work. At his frontline post, he balances safety and port development, leveraging collaborative governance to mitigate major hazardous chemical risks, institutional creativity to empower foreign trade, and digital technology to elevate management standards. Looking ahead, he plans to continue deepening his core work in vessel supervision, broaden the application of digital regulatory tools, and refine measures that benefit enterprises and the public. His goal remains guarding the river for a safe and clean environment, contributing grassroots maritime strength to the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the advancement of China's transportation infrastructure.