On August 24, the 5,000-tonne green intelligent demonstration vessel "Beigang Canal 001", built to meet the equivalent of Class A navigation standards on the Pinglu Canal, successfully completed its trial voyage and inspection in the Yujiang River section of Guigang, Guangxi.
The vessel is one of the key 5,000-tonne demonstration ships developed under the Pinglu Canal project and marks the first vessel in the fleet to be classed by the China Classification Society (CCS). Designed as a dual-purpose vessel for both bulk and container cargo, "Beigang Canal 001" has a gross tonnage of 2,983, with an overall length of 89.9 meters, a beam of 15.76 meters, and a molded depth of 6.10 meters.
As a next-generation benchmark vessel tailored to the navigation demands of the Pinglu Canal, "Beigang Canal 001" highlights two core advantages: intelligent systems and green technology. It is the first vessel on the Xijiang River to integrate intelligent engine room monitoring, an onboard data integration platform, and smart energy efficiency management.
The vessel is powered by a pure LNG single-fuel clean energy system, equipped with a next-generation ultra-vacuum insulated gas tank supply system, achieving significant pollutant reduction at the source. Compared to traditional diesel-powered vessels, it can replace approximately 520 tonnes of fuel annually, saving about 1 million yuan in operational costs each year.
In addition, the ship is outfitted with seven intelligent functions: navigation situational awareness, collision avoidance assistance and warning, intelligent navigation support, remote monitoring of engine room equipment, smart energy consumption management, integrated ship-to-shore communication, and intelligent vessel operation and maintenance. The radar can detect targets over tens of kilometers, while optoelectronic cameras cover waterway targets within a 5-kilometer range. Through the intelligent maintenance system, the vessel can conduct equipment health assessments and fault predictions, automatically推送 maintenance recommendations, effectively reducing unplanned downtime.
The first batch of intelligent demonstration vessels for the Pinglu Canal, coordinated by Beibu Gulf Port Group and constructed by Guangxi Xijiang Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., includes four ships in total: "Beigang Canal 001" and "Beigang Canal 002", both 5,000-tonne river vessels, along with two 108-meter-long river-sea direct test vessels. Among them, "Beigang Canal 002" completed its trial voyage in June and has already been delivered. According to the plan, once all four demonstration vessels are delivered, they will be directly deployed on the river-sea direct routes of the Pinglu Canal.