The construction of supporting docks for the new Three Gorges shipping channel has commenced in full swing.

On July 14, reporters learned from the Three Gorges Group that the first embedded rock steel pipe pile of the temporary dock project at Letianxi, part of the Three Gorges New Shipping Channel Project, has been completed, marking the beginning of full-scale construction of the main dock facilities for the project.

The Three Gorges New Shipping Channel Project integrates functions such as water conservancy, shipping, and ecology. It is the largest comprehensive project on the Yangtze River mainline since the Three Gorges Project. Once completed, the Three Gorges Hub and Gezhouba Hub will both adopt a four-line ship lock layout, further enhancing the navigation capacity of the Yangtze River Golden Waterway and better supporting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The project includes the construction of two temporary docks, Letianxi and Xia'anxi, both located on the left bank of the Three Gorges Dam area. The Letianxi temporary dock is situated 9 kilometers downstream of the Three Gorges Dam and is planned to include a 3,000-ton roll-on/roll-off berth and a 5,000-ton bulk cargo berth. The Xia'anxi temporary dock is located downstream near the Letianxi estuary and will feature a 5,000-ton bulk cargo berth. These two docks are primarily responsible for the transportation of bulk construction materials such as fill materials and coarse aggregates. During peak periods, their monthly transport capacity can reach 1 million tons, serving as the "lifeline" for material supply in the Three Gorges New Shipping Channel Project. It is reported that the roll-on/roll-off berth at Letianxi temporary dock is expected to be completed by the end of August this year, with the unloading platform for berth No. 2 operational by the end of September. The Xia'anxi temporary dock is scheduled for completion by the end of December.

The steel pipe pile constructed this time is the first foundation pile for the unloading platform at berth No. 2 of the Letianxi dock. Facing tight schedules, heavy tasks, and high standards, the project construction team innovatively adopted a combination of full casing rotary drilling rigs and rotary drilling rigs, optimized construction procedures, and allocated human and machine resources effectively to achieve seamless workflow connections, significantly improving construction efficiency.