Mar.21--THE Guangdong provincial government plans to spend CNY5.03 billion (US$813 million) on dredging the Beijiang River next year to cope with traffic congestion on the waterway, Xinhua reports.
The 258-kilometre Beijiang, or North River, is the only waterway connecting northern part of Guangdong to the Pearl. The section to be dredged is the 217 kilometre stretch from Shaoguan city's Wushi district to Sanshui city's Hekou district.
The six-year project involves three cities, Shaoguan, Qingyuan and Foshan, mainly in Qingyuan. After completion, the channel will be upgraded from the fifth to the third grade and carry ships of 1,000 tonnes.
During recent year, the fast development of the construction material industry and logistics facilities in Qingyuan and Shaoguan have spurred transport demand. As shortage of road transport capacity is forcing the shippers to turn to the Beijiang River, the river's capacity is also becoming short and has caused severe congestion.
The project is expected to effectively enhance Beijiang River's capacity and enable more convenient cargo transport service for the local shippers.
(Source:shippingazette)