Promoting high-standard connectivity of market facilities is an important measure for the construction of a unified national market. The Jialing River, the second largest tributary of the Yangtze River, once had problems with shipping. How to rely on the construction of a unified national market to release greater benefits from golden waterways? Let’s take a look at the reporters’ front-line research.
When the reporter came to Guangyuan Port in Sichuan on the upper reaches of the Jialing River, it was a busy scene.
Truck driver Zhao Huajun: Now we make three or four trips a day. It’s impossible to win (can’t handle it).
A few years ago, Guangyuan Port was still empty. Some cargo owners would rather travel by road than take the Jialing River.
Captain Li Maoqiang: Sometimes I drive in the waiting area and can’t wait for half a month, which is quite annoying.
Now that the entire route is open to navigation, why can’t the ship still run?
CCTV reporter Zhang Yijin: This is a ship lock on the Jialing River. Because the water level difference between the upstream and downstream is relatively large, ships must be raised and lowered step by step like this in order to pass smoothly. There are a total of 16 such ship locks along the entire main stream of the Jialing River, which is more than 1,000 kilometers long. In the past, due to the inaccessibility of data between ship locks, if you passed through a 16-level ship lock, you would have to go through 16 ship inspections.
In addition to navigation, each lock also has functions such as flood control, irrigation, and hydropower generation. Tang David, who is responsible for coordinating ship navigation, drew a flow chart for reporters. Since the ship locks are managed by different departments in Sichuan and Chongqing, to arrange for ships to pass through the locks, just to collect information such as water levels and ship conditions requires asking each of the 16 ship locks, and then seeking opinions from the water conservancy, energy and other competent authorities of the two places one by one.
Tang David, deputy director of the Chongqing Hechuan Waterway Management Office: They may give us a no, and then start the cycle all over again.
Tan Yi, Director of the Port and Shipping Management Office of the Chongqing Municipal Transportation Commission: Our dozen or so tiers have actually invested one to two billion yuan in them. To be honest, the advantages of shipping have not been used, which we feel is more sad.
After learning from the painful experience, the competent authorities in Sichuan and Chongqing made up their minds to break down barriers. In the past, each of the 16 levels of ship locks was managed separately and information could not be shared. The first step of the reform is to open up data and establish a unified information platform. Waterway, hydrology and lock data that were originally scattered in different operating units have been shared in real time. Ships passing through 16 locks only need to declare once.
However, new problems emerged. Since power generation and navigation have different demands on water levels, it is still common for ships to fail to open when they arrive at the lock. At the Tingzikou hub, some ships even wait for seven days.
Liu Lei, Operations Manager of the Operation and Maintenance Department of China Datang Sichuan Tingzikou Company: The shipping side is equivalent to our superior unit, and the Sichuan Provincial Division of power generation also belongs to our superior unit. It is equivalent to us being sandwiched in the middle. It is impossible to satisfy all needs at the same time every time.
How to improve the efficiency of ship navigation while ensuring flood control, irrigation and hydropower generation? More than a dozen departments from Sichuan and Chongqing sat together to discuss establishing a joint dispatching mechanism across provinces and cities.
Tan Yi, Director of the Port and Shipping Management Office of Chongqing Municipal Transportation Commission: In fact, everyone didn’t understand it at the beginning and felt that it would harm their own interests.
The water demands of all parties have been put on the table. The transportation department calculated the minimum navigable water level in each level of the reservoir, the water conservancy department approved the minimum discharge flow of the river, and the energy department dynamically adjusted the power generation plan based on navigation needs. After repeated negotiations, the "greatest common denominator" was found for navigation, irrigation and power generation water, and a set of joint dispatching procedures was gradually formed.
Qing Xiaofeng, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of China Datang Sichuan Tingzikou Company: It used to be a long-term relationship, but now there is no need. Everyone has a map. Maybe two days in advance, I know that it will cross the ship, and we will arrange it according to our plan.
As the cross-province, city, and cross-department dispatching mechanism becomes more and more perfect, Tang David's flow chart is constantly shortened, and the overall waiting time of ships has also been reduced by 50%. Now, when you open the mobile app, the water level, weather, and channel maps can be checked in real time, and the progress of the boat can be seen at a glance.
Captain Li Maoqiang: It’s very convenient now. Basically, you can pass through many gates when you arrive.
Today, more and more cargo owners and logistics companies are switching bulk commodities that originally left Sichuan via the land route to the Jialing River waterway.
Chen Hao, Business Manager of the Southwest Area of Jinfeng Trading Co., Ltd.: The whole railway freight used to be about 340 yuan per ton, but now it is about 315 yuan per ton. If it is 100,000 tons per year, it will save about 2.5 million.
The dividends brought by this reform centered on the construction of a unified national market are being released along the Jialing River. In the Sichuan section, the freight volume passing through the gate has set a historical record. The freight volume in 2025 will exceed the total of the previous three years. Looking at the entire Jialing River Basin, the comprehensive cost of shipping companies has dropped by 44%. Various goods such as building materials, coal, grain, and mineral materials are shuttled back and forth. The potential of the golden waterway is accelerating to be released.
