Pinglu Canal's Dedicated "Traffic Rules" to Take Effect on September 15

　　The countdown to navigation on the Pinglu Canal has begun, and the dedicated navigation management rules for this "project of the century" have been put in place simultaneously. On September 10, the Information Office of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region held a press conference, announcing that the Provisions on Navigation Safety Management of the Pinglu Canal (the "Provisions") will officially take effect on September 15, providing a regulatory basis for the safe passage of vessels, the maintenance of navigation order, and the interface between inland waterway and maritime navigation.

　　The Pinglu Canal has a total length of 134.2 kilometers. Built to inland waterway Class I standards, it can accommodate 5,000-tonne vessels. As a new waterway connecting rivers and the sea, some sections of the canal lie in the river-sea transition zone. How to align the two sets of navigation rules—inland waterway and maritime—has become a new issue in navigation safety management.

　　The core breakthrough of the Provisions is the organic integration of the two sets of navigation rules for inland waterways and maritime areas. A traffic separation scheme is implemented throughout the entire Pinglu Canal, uniformly applying keep-right navigation and port-to-port passing. Upstream and downstream of the Qingnian Hub, give-way requirements are respectively specified as "upbound vessels give way to downbound vessels" and "vessels navigating against the current give way to those navigating with the current." A specific sea area in Qinzhou Bay has been designated as the country's first "equivalent to Class A" navigation area. Inland vessels meeting the standards may legally enter this sea area after endorsement on their inspection certificates, thereby opening the key corridor for river-sea intermodal transport.

　　In response to the navigation environment of the Pinglu Canal, such as bends, bridges, and ship locks, the Provisions further quantify requirements for safe speed, safe distance, under-keel clearance, bridge clearance, and other matters, turning previously more general safety requirements into directly enforceable standards. At the same time, corresponding control requirements are specified for factors affecting navigation safety such as wind, waves, current velocity, and visibility, and six categories of prohibited acts are delineated, including sailing abreast, berthing against slopes, and overtaking or drifting in curved reaches.

　　The Provisions also specifically respond to the concerns of residents along the route. A "nighttime quiet zone" is established in the waters from the Qingnian Hub to the Qinjiang Bridge of the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway. From 22:00 each day to 6:00 the next day, vessels are prohibited from sounding signals, except for emergency avoidance. The section of the Pinglu Canal passing through the urban area of Qinzhou City runs through the city, with residents concentrated on both banks. This measure, on the premise of ensuring navigation safety, minimizes disturbance to the public's nighttime rest.