The first shipment of "sea-to-river" cargo transported through the newly opened Pinglu Canal arrived in Baise, an inland riverside city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Monday.
In the past, bulk cargo from the Pearl River Delta would have to be shipped on the Xijiang waterway and then via the Youjiang River to the Baise Port, a journey of about 1,200 kilometers that would take 12 to 15 days.
Upon the opening of the Pinglu Canal earlier this month, cargo shipped from the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea through the Pinglu Canal can reach the Baise Port via a route shortened by about 560 kilometers, with transport time cut to five to seven days, significantly reducing overall logistics costs.
The Pinglu Canal officially opened on Sept 16. It is China's first major river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since 1949.
Built at a cost of 72.7 billion yuan (about 10.75 billion U.S. dollars), the 134.2-kilometer canal runs from Nanning City, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, linking the Xijiang River shipping route in the north with the Beibu Gulf in the south, building up the closest maritime outlet for much of southwest China.
1st shipment of sea-to-river cargo via newly opened canal arrives in inland city
