On the morning of November 2, 2026, at the end of the production line of Loudi Steel Plant, the newly produced strip coil steel was emitting a cold light. The lifting arm fell, and the steel coil was not loaded onto the open car or welded with a stopper, sitting on the dedicated saddle of the gantry style special container. Subsequently, the boxes were transported by railway from Loudi Station to Huaihua West Freight Yard, where they were assembled at Huaihua International Land Port. They then boarded the China Vietnam cross-border train and departed through Pingxiang Port in Guangxi, heading towards Anyuan Station in Vietnam. The new product of Loudi strip coil steel with a weight of 59.1 tons and a cargo value of 38000 US dollars in 2 standard containers has begun.

Steel coil encounters special box

Rolled steel is afraid of collision, deformation, and moisture. Traditional open top cars have complex reinforcement, high cargo damage, and poor intermodal connections, which restrict the stable export of steel from central Hunan. Strip rolled steel is suitable for automotive and home appliance manufacturing, and connects with Southeast Asian processing and infrastructure needs. Huaihua International Land Port has adopted for the first time the gantry type coil steel special container from China Railway Tielong Container Logistics Co., Ltd., with a dedicated saddle structure, rubber buffer protection, and standardized tarpaulin protection scheme to stabilize the steel coil; Fully mechanized loading and unloading, from the Loudi factory area directly to the Vietnam terminal station, one box to the end, without landing, changing, or unpacking, reducing the time required for the original river sea intermodal transportation from 30 days to 15 days, effectively promoting the transformation and upgrading of bulk goods from scattered to centralized. Previously, the same type of seat frame was only used for domestic intermodal transportation, and this is the first cross-border precedent.

Connect the four sides into a chain

Hunan aims to build a freight hub for ASEAN through Huaihua, with land ports starting in 2021. By 2025, the number of trains will exceed 1220, relying on the Huaihua West marshalling yard assembly channel for 70% of southbound ASEAN goods. Four party collaboration: Hunan Hualing Lianyuan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. supplies, Huaihua Jiahui Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. coordinates the entire logistics process, Luhai New Channel Operation (Hunan) Co., Ltd. is responsible for assembling and securing the channel, and Guangzhou Railway Group Changsha Railway Logistics Center Loudi Station and Huaihua West Freight Yard complete loading reinforcement, tarpaulin coverage, and rope binding. Fast customs clearance at Pingxiang Port has formed an integrated logistics chain that includes the launch of the Loudi factory, the assembly and grouping of the Huaihua International Land Port, customs clearance at Pingxiang Port, and the distribution of personnel in Vietnam. This deeply connects the production capacity of the Loudi production area with the capacity of the Huaihua hub channel, and opens up a new path for the southward cross-border railway transportation of steel sources from central Hunan.

There is an inland seaport now

The shift of the shipment from Southeast Asian fruits to industrial intermediate products such as steel reflects the integration of Chinese intermediate products and ASEAN manufacturing under the RCEP framework. The production capacity of Loudi Material Valley is directly delivered to the manufacturing hinterland of Vietnam, and the 15 day lead time enables inland steel mills to integrate into the ASEAN supply chain. The first launch is not just a single shipment, but also verifies the closed loop of special equipment, port channels, and hub assembly: it can be transformed into open energy without borders or by the sea. Huaihua induced abortion in Hong Kong, accelerating the transition of channel economy to landing economy. After the normalization of the "one box to the end" solution, its value will surpass that of a single category of coil steel, providing a replicable and promotable containerized transportation paradigm for Hunan's inland industrial exports to ASEAN. This will strengthen the land channel for the circulation of intermediate goods between China and Vietnam under the RCEP framework, and help Hunan's steel new materials integrate into the ASEAN supply chain.Editor/Yang Meiling