Guang Xing 798. (Source: Hainan Daily)

On September 18 at around 11:40 am, Guang Xing 798 docked at Berth 2 of Yangpu International Container Terminal, completing the inaugural voyage on the Nanning–Yangpu route. Carrying the first cargo shipments, including Yufeng cement, to travel via the Pinglu Canal using combined rail, river, and sea transport, the vessel departed Nanning on September 16, the day the canal opened to navigation. It sailed south along the canal and out to sea through Qinzhou Port before arriving at Yangpu.

The rail–river–sea transport link connecting Liuzhou in Guangxi, Nanning Port, the Pinglu Canal, and Yangpu Port in Hainan will allow goods from inland areas to travel in the same container throughout the journey, linking river and sea transport with onward connections to ocean shipping services.

Yangpu Port currently operates 68 scheduled container shipping routes. The opening of the Pinglu Canal will extend the port’s reach deep into southwest China and strengthen its role as a transshipment and distribution hub for river–sea transport.