en.Wedoany.com Reported - On May 28, the 24th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Hubei Provincial People's Congress voted to pass the revised "Hubei Provincial Waterway Transport Regulations." The regulations consist of 9 chapters and 73 articles, covering general provisions, planning, waterways, ports, water transport, safety and environmental protection, safeguard measures, legal responsibilities, and supplementary provisions.
The new regulations explicitly propose promoting the transformation and development of waterway transport. At the planning level, they require the integration of waterways, ports, and multimodal transport into the comprehensive transportation system, strengthening coordination with relevant provinces (municipalities) in the Yangtze River basin. At the integration level, they promote the integration of water transport and tourism, coordinating cultural and tourism supporting facilities along waterways and ports to create cultural landscapes and premium routes with Jingchu characteristics. At the regional economic level, they promote the integrated development of ports, industries, and cities, developing port-side economies tailored to local conditions.
The regulations improve the waterway transport management system, clarifying that transportation authorities at or above the county level are responsible for waterway transport work within their administrative regions, with comprehensive transportation law enforcement agencies specifically undertaking administrative law enforcement duties. Meanwhile, they strengthen the water traffic safety responsibility system, enhance the supervisory and management responsibilities of transportation authorities, and refine the industry regulatory duties of departments such as natural resources, water administration, and agriculture and rural affairs.
In terms of smoothing the water transport system, the regulations require accelerating the construction of deep-water channels in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, promoting water system connectivity and unimpeded water transport within the province and between provinces. They aim to improve the management of waterway maintenance and navigation structure operations, optimizing operational scheduling to enhance vessel passage efficiency. Shoreline resources must be utilized intensively, with strengthened supervision and resource allocation for port shorelines, supporting the specialized, automated, and intelligent transformation of existing docks. Additionally, they strengthen the comprehensive transport hub function of ports, improve the collection and distribution system to promote multimodal transport, and encourage the transformation and upgrading of traditional shipping service industries, developing modern shipping service industries and shipping service clusters.
The regulations also focus on green and smart shipping construction. Emphasizing green and low-carbon development, they require ecological and environmental impact assessments to be conducted in accordance with the law during the preparation of waterway and port plans and engineering construction. They encourage port operators to use clean energy or new energy operating equipment and transport vehicles, strengthen ship pollution prevention and control, and establish joint supervision mechanisms. Meanwhile, they promote the development of green and intelligent ships, coordinate the layout of energy refueling and charging/swapping facilities, encourage the reduction or exemption of lockage fees for ships using clean energy or new energy power, and support financial institutions in serving the green and intelligent ship industry chain. In terms of intelligence, they promote the construction of smart shipping service platforms, providing one-stop services such as navigation, lock passage, anchoring, and safety warnings, and facilitate the open utilization of public data resources for waterway transport.
As a major water transport province, Hubei's waterway transport serves as a fundamental channel for integrating into the Yangtze River basin and the global economic system. To accelerate the construction of an important strategic fulcrum for the rise of the central region, the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government have proposed implementing a hub capacity enhancement strategy, building "Hubei on rails, Hubei on waterways, Hubei on air routes," and creating a new era "thoroughfare to all directions" through the "three Silk Roads" of land, sea, and air. Since its introduction in 2012, the regulations have undergone three revisions in 2015, 2016, and 2021, playing a significant role in promoting the construction of waterway transport infrastructure in Hubei Province and standardizing transport management.
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