Trials set stage for opening of Pinglu Canal

The Pinglu Canal in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region launched full-route and full-ship-type trials for the first time on Wednesday, also marking the final major evaluation before the landmark project's official operation scheduled for September.

As a backbone infrastructure scheme for the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the Pinglu Canal is China's first major river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since 1949.

The waterway stretches from the Pingtang River estuary in Hengzhou, Nanning, through Lingshan county and along the Qinjiang River before emptying into the Beibu Gulf in Qinzhou.

The waterway has already surpassed 98 percent of its construction. Upon completion, it will shorten the traditional shipping route for Southwest China cargo by approximately 560 kilometers compared with the Guangzhou Port passage.

The new 291-km outbound lane from Nanning to Qinzhou Port will become the shortest, most economical and most efficient sea-access channel for China's southwestern region.

Chen Liang, assistant general manager of Chongqing Xike Water Transport Engineering Consulting Co, is in charge of the ship trial operation.

Four vessels representing the main types expected to use this canal will take part in the trials, namely loaded and unloaded 5,000-metric-ton ships as well as loaded 3,000-ton and 1,000-ton vessels, Chen said.

"The trials will comprehensively verify the safety and stability of the canal's waterways, ship locks, anchorages and service areas under various operational conditions, laying a solid foundation for the canal's scheduled opening," Chen said.

All trial vessels are equipped with high-precision monitoring devices, including Beidou positioning systems, drone flow-field monitors, mooring tension sensors and engine condition collectors.

The devices gather hundreds of real-time data points, such as ship track, drift angle, transverse inclination, channel flow velocity and safe spacing between vessels.

Project authorities have established a multilayer safety protection system supported by joint coordination among maritime, construction and emergency response departments. Segmented and time-phased water traffic control is enforced throughout the trial period.

Dedicated escort speedboats and full emergency response protocols are on standby to handle potential incidents including vessel collisions, groundings, oil spills and personnel-overboard scenarios.

Pretrial verification of crew qualifications and vessel seaworthiness ensures full operational safety.

Pan Jian, chief engineer of Guangxi Pinglu Canal Construction Co, said a formal trial summary report will be completed after the testing phase concludes.

The report will propose route optimization measures, standardize navigation procedures, clarify segmented traffic control rules and supplement technical standards for safe canal operation.

The findings will support stable river-sea combined transport operations for the mega water project and provide empirical technical references for future domestic and international waterway engineering projects.

The canal's opening comes amid robust China-ASEAN economic integration. China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have remained each other's largest trading partners for six consecutive years.

In Guangxi, ASEAN has ranked as the region's top trading partner for 26 consecutive years.

In 2025, Guangxi's total import and export volume with ASEAN reached 429.2 billion yuan ($63.6 billion), up 8 percent year-on-year, reflecting continuous expansion and deepening of regional economic cooperation.

zhangli@chinadaily.com.cn