Source: Southern Daily Online Edition

On August 19, 2021, the General Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province issued the "Overall Division of Labor Plan for Enhancing Inland River Shipping Capacity and Promoting Green Development of Inland River Shipping in Guangdong Province", the "Implementation Plan for Enhancing Inland River Shipping Capacity in Guangdong Province" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement"), and the "Implementation Plan for Green Development Demonstration Projects of Inland River Shipping in Guangdong Province" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plan for Green Development"), proposing to form an inland waterway network with trunk and branch connections and river sea connectivity by 2025, build an intensive, efficient, and functionally coordinated inland port system, solve the "last mile" problem of connecting important inland port areas to trunk highways, construct a number of green water service areas, and improve the level of waterway services. In addition, this year, Guangdong will put into operation six LNG refueling stations for inland ships, promoting the green development of inland shipping.

Promote the construction of 11 inland waterway projects by 2025

The Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement proposes to accelerate the construction of key projects in the main framework of inland waterways such as Dongjiang, Beijiang, and Hanjiang, with high-grade waterways as the backbone. Preliminary designs for the expansion and upgrading projects of Dongjiang, Beijiang, and Hanjiang waterways will be carried out, and demand analysis and demonstration work will be deepened simultaneously. Construction will be carried out in an orderly manner to fill the gaps in waterway infrastructure and build a green transportation channel. By 2025, we will promote the construction of 11 inland waterway projects, with a planned investment of approximately 24.1 billion yuan, including 3 ongoing projects and 8 newly started projects.

At present, there is a chaotic situation of "small, scattered, and weak" in Guangdong's inland ports and docks. The Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement proposes to complete the construction of 30 inland port projects by 2025, add 156 berths (including 113 deep-water berths of 1000 tons or above), complete an investment of about 7.4 billion yuan, add an annual cargo throughput capacity of about 76.82 million tons, and container throughput capacity of about 2.94 million standard containers. Among them, the focus is on promoting the construction of inland port projects such as the Shaoguan Wushi Comprehensive Transportation Hub Phase I Project and the Zhaoqing Port Xinjiwan Operation Area.

To enhance the role of inland waterway transportation in the logistics service industry, the focus should be on solving the "last mile" problem of connecting inland ports to main highways. The Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement proposes to accelerate the construction of 18 port diversion road projects in six cities including Shaoguan, Yunfu, Zhaoqing, Foshan, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen, with a planned investment of approximately 4.3 billion yuan by 2025, effectively enhancing the collection and distribution capacity of important inland port areas.

At least one water-based green service area shall be established for the main waterway

Enhance the service capacity and level of inland ports, and fully leverage the scale advantages of leading port and shipping enterprises. The Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement proposes to form 2-3 leading enterprises in inland ports and shipping, gradually improving the "small and scattered" situation of inland ports and shipping enterprises. At the same time, by promoting the construction of smart waterways and implementing unified management of ship locks throughout the province, high-quality services such as efficient passage and water transportation information will be empowered through digitization and intelligence.

It is worth mentioning that the "Implementation Plan for Capacity Enhancement" proposes to build a number of water green service areas that provide ship water pollutant reception, refueling and refueling, shore power supply, emergency support, and crew services. Relying on waterway projects such as Shunde Waterway, Liansha Rong Waterway, and Dongjiang Capacity Expansion and Upgrading, we aim to build four comprehensive water green service areas including Zidongkou, Shagongbao, Huizhou, and Heyuan. We strive to establish at least one water green service area for all major waterways in our province by 2025.

In addition, to lead the green development of inland shipping in Guangdong, the "Green Development Implementation Plan" proposes to coordinate the promotion of LNG powered ship applications and LNG refueling station construction. In 2021, six LNG refueling stations for inland vessels will be put into operation; In 2022, 50 new LNG powered ships will be built and 300 LNG powered ships will be renovated; Build a demonstration project for LNG application in inland ships.