Pinglu Canal handles over 1 million metric tons of cargo since opening

(ECNS) -- The Pinglu Canal in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has handled more than 1 million metric tons of cargo since it opened to navigation on Sept. 16, the Beibu Gulf Port Group said on Monday.

Nanning Port, a key river hub on the Pinglu Canal, recorded cargo throughput of more than 668,000 metric tons in September, the highest monthly total since the port began operations, according to Beibu Gulf Port Group.

During China's National Day holiday, daily cargo throughput for river vessels at Qinzhou Port peaked at 67,800 metric tons, a record since the canal opened. Beibu Gulf Logistics also launched the first Vietnam-bound international container shipping route via the canal.

To support river-sea intermodal transport, Beibu Gulf Port Group has upgraded 13 seaward berths, adding about 32 million metric tons of annual handling capacity.

A key project of China's New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal is the first canal project since the founding of the People's Republic of China to be planned and built under national coordination. It links the Xijiang River shipping channel with the Beibu Gulf, turning better transport links into new opportunities for industrial development.

(By Gong Weiwei)