Pinglu Canal opens new routes for cargo from inland

The Pinglu Canal is opening new routes to coastal and overseas markets for cargo from China's inland provinces just over a month after it began operations.

Freight services now connect Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, with Can Tho in Vietnam and Yangpu in Hainan province. Cargo transported through the canal originates from provinces as far afield as Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, according to regional transport authorities.

Officials highlighted the expanding freight links during this month's "Water Transport China — Exploring Guangxi by Water" multimedia reporting tour.

Opened on Sept 16, the 134.2-kilometer canal connects inland waterways near Nanning with the sea at Qinzhou. It accommodates vessels of up to 5,000 metric tons and shortens the journey to the sea by more than 560 km compared with the traditional route.

For limestone producers in the Xijiang River basin, the canal provides an additional route to customers. Their cargo can now travel through the waterway to Qinzhou Port for onward shipment to steelmakers in northern China and overseas markets.

Previously, high transport costs limited much of the cargo to nearby markets or destinations along the Xijiang River toward the Pearl River Delta, according to the authorities.

Other southbound shipments include steel, construction materials and containerized goods. In the opposite direction, coal, ore and other raw materials arriving through Beibu Gulf ports can be transported inland via the canal.

At the coastal end of the route, Qinzhou Port connects the new waterway to a shipping network handling growing volumes of foreign trade containers.

"In the first nine months, foreign trade container throughput reached 1.34 million TEUs, up 31 percent year-on-year," said Wu Weibin, deputy director of the regional Beibu Gulf port administration center. A TEU, or 20-foot equivalent unit, is a standard measure of container volume.

Ensuring smooth cargo movement between inland waterways and coastal ports requires coordination among lock operations, port services and navigation management.

"We are strengthening our specialist pilotage team for the Pinglu Canal and supporting river-sea pilotage operations," said Su Yi, director of Guangxi's pilotage center.

To improve operational efficiency, Guangxi has integrated maritime, waterway, port and weather data into a unified waterway scheduling platform. Vessel operators can submit a single application for passage, while scheduling algorithms help coordinate vessel movements through locks with cargo-handling operations at ports.

Transport authorities are also refining navigation arrangements for floods, low-water periods and changing tides. Inspections focus on bends, narrow sections and areas where vessels pass one another at night.

Maintaining navigation safety also requires digital monitoring and regular on-site inspections, said Liang Hua, a navigation-aid maintenance worker at the Pinglu Canal management center.

Liang transferred to the canal in June after working on another inland waterway in Guangxi. His duties include checking navigation aids, repairing equipment and clearing debris.

Frequent water-level adjustments and changing tidal conditions require close monitoring. A digital maintenance platform enables Liang and his colleagues to track the condition of navigation aids and monitor water levels and tides. When the system flags a potential problem, maintenance crews visit the site to investigate and take action.

The technology helps workers anticipate the effects of changes in water levels and currents, Liang said, but on-site inspections remain essential.

"Technology has reduced repetitive work, but it has not reduced the responsibility on our shoulders," he said.