According to the the Pearl River Navigation Administration of the Ministry of Transport (hereinafter referred to as the "Pearl River Navigation Administration"), as of 10:08 a.m. on November 20, 2024, the accumulated cargo volume of Changzhou Shiplock on the Xijiang Shipping Trunk Line has exceeded 200 million tons this year, an increase of 21.87% year on year, which once again breaks the historical record of annual cargo volume of natural river shiplocks in China. According to the current growth trend, it is expected that the annual cargo throughput of Changzhou Ship Lock will reach about 220 million tons. In 2024, facing the severe and complex situation of changing water conditions and sudden droughts and floods, the Zhuhai Navigation Bureau solidly carried out the work of ensuring the smooth operation of the Xijiang shipping trunk line. The cargo volume of Changzhou Ship Lock continued to grow rapidly, providing solid water transportation support and guarantee for the high-quality development of the Yangtze River region. One is to establish and improve two major working mechanisms. Establish a sound and comprehensive mechanism for ensuring smooth navigation of the Xijiang shipping mainline, and establish a coordinated linkage mechanism for ensuring smooth navigation of waiting vessels. Widely gather the joint efforts of transportation, port and navigation, maritime affairs, water conservancy, power, ship lock operation and other departments to effectively respond to the four numbered floods in Xijiang, coordinate with water conservancy and power departments to carry out four emergency water replenishment dispatch during the dry season, and replenish a total of 1.59 billion cubic meters of water. Secondly, we will deepen the exploration and efficiency improvement of ship locks. The pilot task of "Improving the Efficiency of Joint Dispatch of Multi line and Multi cascade Ship Locks on the Xijiang Shipping Main Line" for the construction of a strong transportation country has been approved by the Ministry of Transport. Strengthening the application of intelligent joint scheduling technology for multi tiered and multi line ship lock groups, developing a "new type of gravity energy dissipation ship lock gate anti-collision device" and putting it into use, and implementing multiple measures comprehensively, the efficiency of ship passage at Changzhou Ship Lock has been improved by about 25%. The third is to accelerate the technological transformation of ship locks. Guide and coordinate local transportation authorities and research institutions to carry out research on the technological transformation of Changzhou's first and second line ship locks, and pass expert review. After the implementation of the project, the expected annual operating time guarantee rate of Changzhou's first and second line ship locks can be increased from 61% to 93% and 72% respectively, and the annual cargo throughput capacity can be increased by about 20 million tons. The fourth is to effectively regulate the order of ship navigation. Organize transportation, maritime and other departments to jointly carry out a special rectification action against illegal and irregular behaviors of ships passing through gates, and strictly deal with various behaviors that disrupt navigation order in accordance with the law. Ensure the transportation of key materials such as electric coal and grain, and arrange 695 emergency ships for electric coal to pass through the gates first, transporting a total of 1.8305 million tons of coal. Next, as the inflow of water from the upper reaches of the Xijiang River continues to decrease during the dry season, the Zhuhai Navigation Bureau will fully utilize its two mechanisms, closely monitor the water and rain conditions in the basin, and the operation of the ship locks. It will strengthen the analysis of the navigation situation, timely coordinate and guide the ship lock operation units to optimize the joint scheduling of the ship locks, actively improve operational efficiency, and fully ensure the safe and smooth operation of the Xijiang shipping mainline. (New Society)