After rushing to an anchorage outside Yangpu Port by tug, pilot Lin Hongpin climbs a large ship on a soft ladder to board and pilot the ship into the port for berthing. [Photo by Pu Xiaoxu/Xinhua]

Lin Hongpin, a national first-class pilot who takes mission in Yangpu, said that no matter the wind or rain, midnight or dawn, the pilot has go to sea. They often have to climb a ladder of more than 20 meters high on the sea to board and pilot ships, and they often wear protective equipment to pilot ships from all over the world. They are under tremendous physical and psychological pressure. Since the beginning of this year, the Hainan Provincial Ship Pilot Station has piloted more than 4,200 ships. Among them, more than 3,000 vessels were piloted in Yangpu.

Yangpu, situated in the province's northwest, undertakes the task of building a pioneer zone for the free trade port. According to the overall plan, Hainan will be the first to implement a new import and export management system in the qualified special customs supervision areas such as Yangpu Free Trade Port Area by 2025. The full-scaled customs clearance will be implemented after the conditions are ripe.