On 1 October 2026, China News Service Hunan reported that Hunan’s first “zone–port linkage” drone customs-sealing project went live on 30 September at the Changsha Zhongnan Consolidation Center and completed live-container validation, marking a new sealing mode at the Changsha gateway.
Sealing is a key customs control step after stuffing: a dedicated electronic lock is fitted and logged so boxes cannot be opened or swapped in transit without a trail. Sinotrans and China Merchants Research Institute of Transportation jointly built the project with support from China Merchants Group, Changsha and Xingsha Customs, and provincial and municipal port authorities.
Previously, stuffed LCL containers had to move to the gate for sealing and arrival declaration, creating queues at peak times. Under the new flow, Sinotrans’ international consolidation system monitors stuffing progress, dispatches a drone with a lock reader and vision model to verify container number and slot, seals on the spot, and auto-submits the arrival declaration to Xingsha Customs via Changsha Single Window, with station and customs data shared in real time.
The report cites electronic lock identification accuracy of 99.8% and end-to-end operational data exchange of no more than three minutes, plus offline and weather contingencies. For buyers and SMEs using Changsha rail and consolidation, the practical upside is less gate idle time and clearer progress visibility after stuffing—confirm with your local desk whether your next booking already uses the drone-seal path.