A trial operation of the Guangxi water transport river-sea integration dispatch platform officially commenced on August 6, marking a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the region's water transport sector and ushering in a new era of intelligent dispatch for river-sea intermodal transport.
The mobile app interface of the Guangxi water transport river-sea integration dispatch platform is now available. Situated at a key node in the western corridor for land-sea trade, Guangxi previously faced fragmented operations with independent dispatch systems for the original Xijiang shipping canal locks, the Pinglu Canal locks, and the Beibu Gulf Port. This created significant data silos across departments, leading to poor coordination between locks and ports and insufficient synergy in river-sea transport, which had become a major bottleneck hindering cost reduction and efficiency improvements in water transport.
To address the navigational support needs of the Pinglu Canal and the development requirements of the Beibu Gulf Port, Guangxi has established this integrated dispatch platform to boost regional industrial growth and international openness. The platform aims to forge a new water transport development pattern characterized by "unified planning, unified network, unified mapping, and unified integration," achieving five core management functions: unified portal, operational monitoring, dispatch command, intelligent control, and information services. It features capabilities such as "one-click integration of river, sea, and data, one-time declaration for full route passage, intelligent dispatch replacing manual operations, and integrated linkage to support the western corridor for land-sea trade."
Specifically, the platform breaks down data silos, enabling deep cross-departmental and cross-regional data sharing, effectively "letting data run more while reducing the need for boat crews to travel." Additionally, it establishes a unified portal and restructures business processes, allowing boat crews to file a single declaration, after which the system generates a unified plan to ensure smooth passage along the entire route. Leveraging algorithms for automatic scheduling, the dispatch model has transitioned from manual control to intelligent management, with dispatch plans automatically generated and updated on a rolling basis, making scheduling more equitable and transparent.
As a vital component of the smart canal system, the platform enhances the efficiency and service level of Guangxi's water transport through the efficient linkage of "ships, locks, and ports" across rivers and seas, fully unleashing the comprehensive potential of the western corridor for land-sea trade through digital capabilities. The integrated dispatch platform will be rolled out in phases, initially piloting with non-Xijiang joint dispatch locks to test system stability. After successful trials, it will be extended to locks along the Xijiang River, the Pinglu Canal, and the Beibu Gulf Port, ultimately achieving full coverage of Guangxi's "river-sea" integrated dispatch system.
Leveraging this new platform, Guangxi will further utilize "artificial intelligence+" methods to refine its intelligent water transport dispatch system, strengthening the water transport foundation for the western corridor for land-sea trade.