The first international voyage vessel docks at the Liujing operation area of Nanning Port.

On the evening of September 7, under the coordination of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Transportation, as a landmark task of the comprehensive exercise for the full-element navigation of the Pinglu Canal, the Panamanian foreign trade vessel "Beigang Nanning Borun" successfully completed its entire voyage from Qinzhou Port through the Pinglu Canal to Nanning Port. It smoothly docked at Berth 5 in the Liujing operation area of Nanning Port, becoming the first international sailing vessel welcomed by this port area, achieving a historic breakthrough of foreign trade sea vessels directly reaching Nanning's inland river port from Beibu Gulf seaports. This docking marks the formal establishment of Nanning Port's foreign-related shipping and sea-river direct foreign trade support system, laying a solid foundation for the maiden voyage of the foreign trade route from Nanning Port to Can Tho Port in Vietnam operated by Beibu Gulf Port Group after the opening of the Pinglu Canal, and advancing a key step in the construction of the new western land-sea corridor's sea-river intermodal transport.

The "Beigang Nanning Borun" vessel involved in this voyage is a high-quality foreign trade sea vessel adapted to the navigation conditions of the Pinglu Canal. The vessel has a total length of 100 meters, a width of 22 meters, a deadweight of 4,443 tons, a gross tonnage of 2,998 tons, a draft of 4.23 meters, and a maximum height above water of 13.1 meters. It meets dual standards for inland waterways and Beibu Gulf coastal navigation and can transport containers, general cargo, large equipment, and other types of foreign trade goods. The vessel faces challenges such as large wind exposure, strong hull inertia, and long braking distances, compounded by the dense bends of the Pinglu Canal, limited clearance under bridges along the route, and multiple risks during navigation, including bridge area passage, lock transit, hydrological and meteorological conditions. These factors impose high standards on dispatching, piloting operations, navigation control, and emergency response.

To ensure the safety, stability, efficiency, and orderliness of the entire process of international vessel navigation, river entry, and docking, and to solidly prepare for the opening of the Pinglu Canal, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Transportation took the lead in organizing, in collaboration with the Guangxi Maritime Bureau, and coordinated with the Autonomous Region Water Transport Development Center, Pinglu Canal Management Center, and Piloting Center. Together with Beibu Gulf Port Group, Pinglu Canal Group, and other units, they formed a special dispatch and support working group. Through high-level deployment and multi-party collaboration, they established a three-dimensional navigation support system characterized by "unified command, segmented control, full-process escort, and closed-loop emergency response."

Various units focused on key nodes such as vessel dispatching, lock passage, professional piloting, tugboat escort, and port area docking, refining operational implementation plans and solidifying safety responsibilities at each stage. The Pinglu Canal Management Center fully leveraged its role as an integrated dispatch hub for rivers, seas, and waterways, implementing segmented and precise control of the channel, conducting comprehensive obstacle clearance and navigation maintenance, and iteratively optimizing lock dispatch plans to ensure efficient lock passage for vessels. Maritime departments enforced single-direction navigation control for key segments, conducted full-process maritime patrol escorts, and strengthened navigation safety management for cross-river bridges. Piloting agencies deployed senior pilots, paired with experienced inland river captains for collaborative navigation assistance. Port and power departments simultaneously carried out dynamic clearance measurements and precise water level adjustments for the channel, firmly maintaining the bottom line of navigation safety. Under the closed-loop control and coordinated operations of multiple departments, the task of navigating and docking the first international vessel was successfully completed, fully testing the integrated operational support capabilities of Liujing Port Area's foreign-related shipping.

According to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Transportation's work plan to optimize the regional water transport layout and accelerate preparations for the opening of the Pinglu Canal, the Liujing operation area of Nanning Port has systematically advanced a series of quality improvement projects, including terminal upgrades, iterations of smart shipping systems, enhancements to foreign-related supporting facilities, and temporary port opening. It now fully possesses the capability to provide full-chain services for international vessel docking, foreign trade transshipment, and sea-river route connections, addressing the significant shortfall of the upper reaches of the Xijiang River's inland ports lacking direct foreign-related shipping.

Next, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Transportation will continue to solidify preparations for the opening of the Pinglu Canal, coordinate and guide relevant units to continuously optimize the full-process support system for international vessel dispatching, piloting, escorting, and port operations, promote the normalization of ASEAN foreign trade routes, fully unleash the comprehensive efficiency of the Pinglu Canal's sea-river connectivity, and contribute to upgrading Guangxi's maritime economy while supporting the high-quality development of the new western land-sea corridor.