BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- The anti-smuggling bureau of Hainan dismantled a group of smuggling ships confiscated in recent anti-smuggling projects with Haikou Customs in Haikou, capital of southern China's island province of Hainan.

The smuggling ships were mainly modified from freighters or fishing boats by criminals and were used for smuggling refined oil and frozen products without ship names, numbers, certificates or ports of registry to avoid being punished.

Thanks to the Haikou Customs and other related departments' resolute fights against the smugglers, 35 smuggling cases concerning items worth about 1.1 billion yuan (159.56 million U.S. dollars) have been solved since 2018. Among them, 154,000 tonnes of refined oil and 400 tonnes of frozen products were verified.

Smuggling by ships was not only disruptive to the normal import and export order but also jeopardized the shipping safety and the aquatic environment. Consumers' health can also be threatened if the refined oil and frozen food without regular inspection and quarantine find their way into the market.

According to the anti-smuggling bureau of Hainan, the management of market circulation and the disposal of the involved vehicles and properties will be further strengthened to create a favorite environment for the development of the Hainan free trade zone.