The groundbreaking ceremony of the Qinzhou Port East Channel Expansion Project is held on July 30. [Photo provided by Li Muhang to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first 10,000 TEU container ship passed through the west side of Qinzhou Port's east fairway and slowly approached the wharf on July 29, marking a breakthrough in the Qinzhou Port East Channel Expansion Project, which creates favorable conditions for the opening of more international ocean liner routes at Beibu Gulf ports.

A groundbreaking ceremony of the adjustment of the Qinzhou Port East Channel Expansion Project was also held on July 30 to make arrangements for future construction.

The Qinzhou Port East Channel Expansion Project is a key project of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in the western region of the country and the Beibu Gulf International Gateway Port. It is aimed at meeting the global development needs of large-scale container ships and enhancing the core competitiveness of the Beibu Gulf ports.

The project is divided into two phases. The total length of the channel is 23.34 kilometers, the channel width is 230-280 meters, and the total investment is 3.4 billion yuan ($485.22 million). It is expected to be completed in June 2021.

The second phase has a channel length of 15 km and a navigation width of 360-390 meters, which can meet the two-way navigation of 100,000-ton container ships. The project investment budget is 1.3 billion yuan.

After the completion of the entire expansion project, the channel will be able to achieve two-way navigation for 100,000-ton container ships, as well as meet the one-way navigation needs of 150,000 to 200,000-ton container ships, which will greatly enhance the navigation capability and international core competitiveness of Qinzhou Port.