First Shipping Certificate for Pinglu Canal Route Issued in Guangxi

The first Shipping Business Transportation Certificate for the route via the Pinglu Canal to the Qinzhou Bay Equivalent Class A Navigation Area in Guangxi was officially issued at the administrative approval window of Guigang Transportation Bureau on the afternoon of March 13, 2026. The "Guigang Yuhang 8328", a bulk-cargo and container dual-purpose ship owned by Guigang Yuhang Shipping Co., Ltd., has become the first ship in the region qualified to operate on this route.

The issuance of this certificate has met the operational conditions for the ship to sail during the trial operation of the Pinglu Canal, realizing the direct "river-river-sea" intermodal transport between the Xijiang River Basin and the Beibu Gulf Port. As an exclusive qualification certificate adapted to the navigation and operation of the Pinglu Canal in Guangxi, it is also the first supporting operation certificate for the Qinzhou Bay Equivalent Class A Navigation Area in China, marking a breakthrough in the business scope compared with ordinary inland waterway ship transportation certificates.

To ensure the smooth trial navigation of the Pinglu Canal, the Department of Transportation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has made overall arrangements in advance, guiding all cities in the region to implement the technical access standards for inland waterway ships and prepare for the handling of operational qualifications. A special note of "Qinzhou Bay Equivalent Class A Navigation Area" operational authority has been added to the certificate, allowing eligible inland waterway ships to directly sail to the equivalent Class A navigation area at the river-sea junction of Qinzhou Bay via the Pinglu Canal, which has completely opened up the connection channel between Guangxi's inland waterway shipping and coastal ports at the qualification level.

It is understood that the "Guigang Yuhang 8328" had previously completed all ship technical inspections and operational qualification verifications. After multiple rounds of review, the ship met all technical conditions and management requirements for inland waterway ships entering the Qinzhou Bay Equivalent Class A Navigation Area, as well as all application standards for this special certificate renewal, ultimately achieving efficient handling of the renewal process.

Information of the newly issued certificate has been updated simultaneously, enabling information sharing and convenient inquiry through the Guangxi Port and Shipping License Management System. The successful issuance of this certificate not only fills the gap in qualifications for inland waterway ships in Guangxi to directly sail to coastal navigation areas but also sets a unified standard and normative model for the qualification handling of similar ships across the region in the follow-up.