The 2025 maintenance and dredging project of the 150,000-ton main channel normal maintenance project in Gaolan Port Area of Zhuhai Port was successfully completed

China News Service, Guangzhou, September 17 (Cheng Jingwei, Chen Dong) The 2025 annual maintenance dredging project of the 150,000-ton main channel normal maintenance project in Gaolan Port Area of ​​Zhuhai Port, constructed by CCCC Guangzhou Waterway Bureau Co., Ltd., was successfully completed recently. The 16.25-kilometer-long maritime channel has undergone meticulous maintenance to provide more stable water depth conditions to welcome giant ships traveling from all over the world.

As a rare deep-water port on the west coast of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Zhuhai Port Gaolan Port Area (hereinafter referred to as: Zhuhai Gaolan Port) is a national first-class port open to the outside world. A large amount of energy, ore, containers and other bulk materials in South China are circulated and distributed through here.

Zhuhai Port Gaolan Port Area. Photo courtesy of CCCC Guangzhou Waterway Bureau

According to reports, the waterway is always open to navigation around the clock, and there is a constant flow of cargo ships. Construction ships need to constantly avoid ships entering and leaving the port during operations, and construction is often interrupted. The soil produced by dredging must be transported to a temporary dumping area 22 kilometers away for disposal. The distance is long, the sea is densely populated with ships, and the safety control pressure is high.

A set of "dynamic grid" construction management methods was used at the offshore operation site, and large self-propelled trailing suction dredgers carried out operations in sections. According to Gao Zhenbiao, deputy project manager, the construction team cleverly used the time difference between ships traveling to and from the mud dumping area to dynamically allocate offshore construction forces to achieve streamlined operations and minimize the impact of construction on normal port operations.

At the same time, the project department formulated a flexible construction plan, built an on-site dispatch center, and linked maritime, port, pilotage and other relevant units to establish a 24-hour collaborative response mechanism, share the dynamics of ships on the sea in real time, and flexibly dispatch various resources to balance the two tasks of construction and navigation on busy waterways.

It is reported that this sea area has extremely high ecological sensitivity and is adjacent to ecological protection areas such as the Chinese White Dolphin Provincial Nature Reserve in Jiangmen, Guangdong. Marine environmental protection is a mandatory requirement throughout the entire construction process. At sea, every participating ship is equipped with a dumping instrument and AIS system, and the entire process of dredging soil from loading to dumping in the open sea is under dynamic monitoring. The overflow door automatic control system installed on the rake-suction vessel accurately regulates the operation process, reduces mud diffusion, and reduces disturbance to the surrounding seawater.

In addition, the project team divided the offshore dumping area into multiple operating units and implemented gridded mud throwing operations to spread the dredged soil evenly and avoid damage to the local seabed environment.

With the Huangmao Sea Cross-Sea Channel and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel being put into operation one after another, the value of Zhuhai Gaolan Port as a hub node connecting Hong Kong, Macao and western Guangdong has become increasingly prominent. The upgraded waterway conditions not only support the input of manufacturing raw materials and the outbound transportation of finished products on the west bank of the Pearl River, improve the regional cargo collection and distribution system, but also help the construction of a world-class port cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, injecting a steady stream of deep-water kinetic energy into the creation of a "new Guangdong on the sea." (over)