The Expansion and Renovation of Jianbi Shiplock in the Southern Jiangsu Section of the Grand Canal went underway on Thursday in Zhenjiang City, east China's Jiangsu province. Upon its completion, the renovated shiplock will ensure that the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal can accommodate 2000-tonnage ships all year round.
The waterway project of the southern Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal will transform the current class III waterway into a class II waterway standard, and the navigable ships will be expanded from 1000 tons to 2000 tons
"At present, the measured water depth of the class III waterway is 3.2m, and the bottom width is 45m. The standard of the class II waterway is 4m, and the bottom width is 60m. To this end, we will carry out full-line dredging to ensure that 2000-tonnage ships can sail past the shiplock 24/7 by 2025," said Gao Li, the Deputy Director of Port and Shipping Development Center, Jiangsu Provincial Dept of Transportation.
Upon the completion of the renovation and upgrade, the Jianbi Shiplock will become the "world's largest single cascade shiplock on inland rivers", which will further improve the navigation efficiency of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and unleash the comprehensive benefits of water transportation.
"We expect that when the renovation is completed, the Jianbi Shiplock will record an annual cargo throughput of 170 million tons and an annual ship throughput of 250 million tons, a 2.5-fold increase from the current level," said Li Jun, the Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of Zhenjiang Port and Shipping Development Center.
