Dredging brings large ships to Yichang by year-end

By Yan Wanqin.

A major dredging project began Wednesday on the Yangtze River, with five dredging vessels working along the Jiangkou and Zhijiang waterways.

The operation will continue through December 25 and will operate 24 hours a day without disrupting shipping.

Once completed, the Yichang section will be dredged to a depth of 4.5 meters, allowing 5,000-metric-ton vessels from Shanghai to navigate beyond Wuhan and reach Yichang.

The Yichang to Wuhan section of the Yangtze River is approximately 612.5 kilometers long. Currently, the depth of this waterway varies between 3.5 and 4.2 meters, meaning it can be navigated by vessels only up to 3,000 tons. Achieving a consistent 4.5 meter depth will allow heavier vessels to reach Yichang.

Since 2018, the Yangtze River Yichang Waterway Bureau has carried out dredging projects in several waterways, including Yidu, Guanzhou, Lujia River, Zhijiang, Jiangkou, and Dabujie. Last year, the Lujia River and Dabujie waterways were dredged, raising the minimum depth to 4.5 meters.

A 2,000-ton cargo ship can carry an additional 170 tons of cargo for every 0.1 meter increase in water depth, increasing profits by about 10 percent. Being able to welcome larger ships should help reduce the cost of water transport to Yichang while also improving efficiency. 
 

He Guanying and Wang Ying contributed to this story.