China's Pinglu Canal Successfully Completes Real-Ship Trial from Qishi Hub to Qingnian Hub

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dimension News, August 19 — The real-ship trial of the Pinglu Canal continued to advance as four representative vessel types — a 5,000-ton loaded vessel, a 5,000-ton empty vessel, a 3,000-ton loaded vessel, and a 1,000-ton loaded vessel — assembled in formation to conduct comprehensive navigation tests on the downstream waterway from Qishi Hub to Qingnian Hub.

The test fleet departed from the mooring dolphin section downstream of Qishi, navigated downstream along the Qinjiang River section, proceeded toward the upstream anchorage of Qingnian Hub, passed through the Qingnian Hub ship lock, and finally moored at the mooring dolphins downstream of Qingnian Hub, covering the complete navigation segment from Qishi Hub to Qingnian Hub. During the voyage, monitoring equipment recorded the entire process, with a focus on collecting navigation attitudes and trajectories of vessels of different tonnages, while simultaneously verifying waterway depth conditions.

After the test vessels arrived at the upstream anchorage of Qingnian Hub, two key tests were successively completed: the coordinated ship lock dispatch center initiated the lock chamber filling operation to conduct specialized berthing and mooring force tests, observing vessel attitudes and berthing conditions under water level fluctuation environments; the four test vessels then completed lock passage operations one by one, fully replicating the entire process of vessel entry into the lock, water level transition, and exit from the lock chamber, verifying the lockage maneuverability and adaptability of various mainstream vessel types at Qingnian Hub.

After all test items were completed, the four test vessels safely moored at the mooring dolphins downstream of Qingnian Hub, marking the successful conclusion of this comprehensive trial. This trial covered key segments including long-distance waterway navigation, ship lock passage, and anchorage berthing, systematically verifying the actual operational status of the waterway, anchorage, and ship locks, providing technical support for the scheduled opening to navigation in September.

The Pinglu Canal is a backbone project of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, with a total length of 134.2 kilometers, starting from Pingtang River Estuary in Hengzhou City, Guangxi in the north, passing through Luwu Town in Lingshan County, and entering the Beibu Gulf along the Qinjiang River. As the first canal project connecting rivers to the sea coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is navigable by 5,000-ton vessels. Currently, the overall construction progress has exceeded 98%, and the canal is expected to officially open to navigation in September this year.