A program that will ultimately build the green and modern shipping services on the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal was launched first with a pilot project in Gaoyou, a county-level city under the administration of Yangzhou, on September 28.

The Jiangsu section of the vast waterway system runs for 687 kilometers and spans Xuzhou, Suqian, Huai'an, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou cities. The massive program includes upgrading the waterway, improving the navigation facilities and boosting the canal’s cultural legacy as well as digital transformation.

File photo of Gaoyou section of the Grand Canal.

Liu Jun, head of the planning office at the North Jiangsu Grand Canal Administration of Navigation Affairs, said one innovation of the initiative is to change the current concrete barriers on the shore to boxes filled with gravels, which not only meet the needs of flood control but also offer a better living environment for aquatic organisms in the gaps amid efforts to improve biodiversity.

The program also includes extensive application of digital technologies to improve the management level, such as unmanned locks through the domestic BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and 5G. With this effort, vessel operators can realize automatic navigation, easily communicate with the management staff, and make payment all through a smart phone.

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