"Wherever regional development advances, waterway services proactively follow" — A record of the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau's efforts in supporting high-quality local economic development.

Over the years, the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau has consistently aligned itself with Nanjing's urban development, continuously ensuring smooth waterway navigation, providing key vessel navigation services, offering technical support for water-related projects, and conducting emergency rescue operations. Through pragmatic actions, it has served the development of Nanjing's port and shipping industry as well as the operation of its economy and society, earning widespread recognition from local governments, port and shipping enterprises, and water-related organizations.

Recently, the Nanjing Municipal Government Office approved the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau's application for document issuance and inclusion in the city's official document exchange system, granting access to the electronic government platform. The establishment of this collaborative governance channel is both a reflection of years of local engagement and mutual trust between government and enterprises, and an efficient platform for the waterway department to deeply integrate into Nanjing's development framework and precisely address local development needs.

Unblocking the Golden Waterway to Boost Port and Shipping Development

The Nanjing section of the Yangtze River serves as a crucial hub connecting the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River with the eastern coastal areas. It is also a vital support for Nanjing's construction of a regional shipping logistics center. Focusing on the core needs of port production and vessel navigation, the bureau has intensified waterway operation monitoring, strengthened waterway maintenance management, optimized full-process service guarantees for key vessels, and worked to ensure the smooth entry of large ocean-going vessels into the Yangtze River and their berthing in Nanjing.

In the first half of 2026, the bureau coordinated the berthing of 10 large ocean-going vessels with a draft of over 11.5 meters at Nanjing Port, promoting the normalization of 11.8-meter draft vessels entering the port. This provided waterway support for the opening of three new international shipping routes at Nanjing Port. Behind these sets of navigation data lies the improvement of vessel navigation efficiency, which strongly supports Nanjing Port in gathering shipping resources and expanding open channels.

From ensuring the smooth entry of a single vessel into the port to supporting the stable operation of a shipping route, the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau continues to enhance public waterway services, using the "smoothness" of waterways to boost the "prosperity" of ports and drive the "strength" of industries.

Proactively Serving to Meet Development Needs

Wherever local development advances, waterway services proactively follow. After the issuance of the "Special Plan for the Development of Nanjing Regional Shipping Logistics Center (2024–2035)" in November 2024, the bureau, based on prior service practices, introduced "Eight Measures to Accelerate the Construction of Nanjing Regional Shipping Logistics Center." These measures focus on deep-water waterway maintenance, key vessel navigation guarantees, and technical services for water-related projects, refining actions to institutionalize and normalize services for local port and shipping development.

Services must be both precise and close to demand. In April this year, the bureau held the 2026 External Service Consultation Meeting, engaging in face-to-face discussions with 16 key water-related organizations, including Nanjing Port Group, Nanjing Iron and Steel Group, and Yangzi Petrochemical. Topics included waterway dimension guarantees, smart service upgrades, water-related project collaboration, and navigation safety management. Feedback and concerns were addressed, and all related matters have been resolved through closed-loop management.

The bureau also continues to ensure the operation of Nanjing Iron and Steel's dedicated 10,000-ton waterway, proactively intervening in the optimization of new terminal expansion plans. Leveraging professional waterway technical advantages, it helps enterprises achieve safe and efficient waterway transportation.

Integrating into the Local Framework and Building Collaborative Strength

Long-term service fosters deep mutual trust, and professional value is increasingly demonstrated in collaborative development. On May 19, the Nanjing Municipal Task Force for Advancing the Development of the Regional Shipping Logistics Center was established, with the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau becoming a member unit. The bureau is responsible for managing the 12.5-meter deep-water waterway system below Nanjing on the Yangtze River trunk line and participating in key tasks such as upgrading the Baota Waterway and coordinating approvals for water-related projects, deeply integrating its functions into the overall layout of Nanjing's port and shipping development.

Relying on the task force's linkage mechanism and the city's official document exchange channel, the bureau's collaborative mechanisms with relevant Nanjing departments and local governments continue to improve. Channels for policy communication, task deployment, and coordination of enterprise water-related demands have become smoother. Regarding waterway dimension guarantees, key vessel port entry and exit, international route expansion, and terminal expansion and reconstruction, all parties can more efficiently share information, align tasks, and negotiate issues, ensuring precise alignment between waterway service supply and local development needs.

Next, the Yangtze River Nanjing Waterway Bureau will continue to enhance its "Smooth Navigation of Rivers and Seas, Smart Leadership" service brand. By providing higher-quality and more efficient public waterway services, it will work hand in hand with relevant Nanjing departments, port and shipping enterprises, and water-related organizations to inject more waterway momentum into the construction of Nanjing's regional shipping logistics center.