en.Wedoany.com Reported - On May 26, the Phase II project for the regulation of the South Channel waterway at the Yangtze River Estuary officially commenced construction. The total investment for the project is approximately 4.45 billion yuan, with a construction period of 4.5 years. Upon completion, the navigable water depth of the channel will be increased from 6 meters to 8 meters, enabling full-tide navigation for 5,000-ton vessels, laden two-way tidal navigation for 10,000-ton vessels, while also accommodating tidal navigation for 20,000-ton vessels and downstream tidal navigation for large empty vessels.
The project is located in the South Channel reach of the Yangtze River Estuary. The construction scope starts from the Yuanyuansha Light Vessel at the diversion point of the North and South Channels upstream, and extends to the B Precautionary Area outside the mouth, covering a total length of approximately 86 kilometers. The main construction contents include: building a 24-kilometer-long bank protection and diversion dike with a top elevation of +2 meters along the tail of Jiangyanansha, the lower section of the Jiangya North Channel, and the southern edge of Jiuduansha; dredging approximately 36 kilometers of the South Channel waterway, with a total dredging volume of 29.74 million cubic meters; and constructing supporting safety assurance facilities such as navigation aids.
According to estimates, upon completion, the project will effectively relieve pressure on the 12.5-meter deep-water channel in the North Channel. It is projected that by 2035, the proportion of vessels of 20,000 tons and below in the North Channel will decrease from 31.2% to 12.2%, significantly improving the efficiency of deep-water utilization in the main channel. Simultaneously, it will stabilize the overall river regime of the South Channel reach and protect the ecological security of the Jiuduansha Wetland.
In terms of economic benefits, once completed, the project will meet the channel support demands for an annual throughput capacity of approximately 18.6 million TEUs, strongly supporting the development of container river-sea intermodal transport for the Shanghai Xiaoyangshan North Operation Area and Luojing Port Area. It will further smooth the major logistics corridor of the Yangtze River Basin, reduce logistics costs for enterprises along the river, strengthen the synergistic effect of the Yangtze River Delta port cluster, and consolidate the hub status of the Shanghai International Shipping Center.
It is understood that nearly 280,000 vessel trips currently pass through the Yangtze River Estuary annually, with a cargo volume reaching 1.7 billion tons, accounting for approximately 50% of the freight volume on the Yangtze River main line. By 2035, the number of vessel trips passing through the Yangtze River Estuary is expected to reach 294,000. Within the "one main, two auxiliary, one branch" channel system of the Yangtze River Estuary, the 12.5-meter deep-water North Channel primarily serves large vessels, handling about 70% of the cargo volume and 30% of the vessel traffic flow; the South Channel serves as the main passage for small and medium-sized vessels and river-sea intermodal vessels entering and leaving the Yangtze River, handling about 30% of the cargo volume and 70% of the vessel traffic flow.
This project is the first water transport engineering project to commence construction on the Yangtze River main line during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. The construction unit, the Yangtze River Estuary Waterway Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, stated that it will implement the development requirements of "integrated integration, safety enhancement, digital and intelligent upgrading, and green transformation," making every effort to build a safe project, an innovative project, a green project, and a clean project, ensuring the project is completed and put into operation on schedule.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
