en.Wedoany.com Reported - On June 5, the Yangtze River Maritime Safety Administration and the Yangtze River Waterway Bureau respectively issued notices announcing the trial operation of the first "compound channel" on the Yangtze River mainline in the Tuqiao and Datong waterways of Anhui Province. It is expected to divert over 200 shallow-draft vessels traveling upstream daily, reducing the risk of vessel encounters, alleviating congestion, optimizing navigation order, and enhancing the comprehensive transport efficiency of the waterway.
The "compound channel" is designed to address the underutilization of waterway resources along the Yangtze River mainline. Based on the existing channel, it strengthens water depth detection, sets up virtual aids to navigation, and subdivides vessel routes within the channel into "lane-level" segments. It also designates recommended routes for shallow-draft vessels outside the channel, forming multiple routes both inside and outside the upstream and downstream channels. Through refined traffic organization, vessels of different sizes and speeds are guided to their respective paths, providing smaller vessels with more economical and safer route options while creating a more spacious and secure navigation environment for large vessels in the main channel. This achieves the principle of "deep water for deep-draft vessels, shallow water for shallow-draft vessels" and "separation of large and small vessels, fast and slow vessels," improving navigation efficiency and reducing shipping logistics costs.
Additionally, using information-based methods such as AIS virtual aids to navigation to dynamically mark and manage the "compound channel" represents a significant innovation in waterway maintenance and management. Compared to traditional physical aids to navigation, AIS virtual aids offer advantages such as flexible deployment, low maintenance costs, and green, maintenance-free operations.
The trial "compound channel" is located in the waters between #233 white buoy and #238 white buoy in the Tuqiao Waterway, and between #240 white buoy and #248 white buoy in the Datong Waterway, covering a total length of 27 kilometers. Ten AIS virtual aids to navigation have been installed, and a 100-meter-wide recommended upstream route for shallow-draft vessels has been delineated outside the upstream traffic lane. When the water level at Tongling is 4 meters or above, the recommended upstream route for shallow-draft vessels in the Datong Waterway is available for vessels with a draft of 5.8 meters or less; when the water level at Tongling is 5.5 meters or above, the recommended upstream route for shallow-draft vessels in the Tuqiao Waterway is available for vessels with a draft of 4.8 meters or less.
This pilot project will provide replicable and scalable experience for the subsequent promotion and application of the "compound channel," further unleashing the economic and social benefits of the Yangtze River's golden waterway.
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