Joint Efforts to Build the Eastern Gateway of Yangtze River Shipping

In the waters of the Yangtze River near Taicang, ocean-going vessels sail upstream from here into the main stream of the Yangtze River, with an annual average of nearly 50,000 ocean-going vessels passing through. On September 2, the Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration, Taicang Municipal Government, and Jiangsu Taicang Port Management Committee jointly signed the "Memorandum of Cooperation to Jointly Support the Construction of the Eastern Gateway of Yangtze River Shipping," aiming to transform "traffic into retention, transit into added value, and channels into hubs," working together to safeguard this critical hub for river-sea intermodal transport and the "first checkpoint" for addressing risks and hazards across the Yangtze River region.

The tripartite cooperation will adhere to a safety-first approach, focusing on strengthening control during adverse weather conditions, optimizing anchorage resource scheduling, enhancing monitoring and early warning capabilities, improving traffic flow and navigation efficiency, and bolstering the management and cultivation of shipping entities. It will also coordinate efforts to promote the development of specialized industries, green shipping practices, integration of trunk and branch routes, data fusion innovation, and the establishment of a high-standard service hub for seafarers, ensuring high-level safety to support high-quality development.

The signing of this memorandum is a landmark initiative for the joint construction of the Eastern Gateway of Yangtze River Shipping and the establishment of a new framework for collaborative governance of waterway safety. The Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration leverages its professional regulatory advantages, while the Taicang Municipal Government and Jiangsu Taicang Port Management Committee utilize their local policy support and port operation advantages. Together, they align their efforts to integrate safety throughout the entire chain of port and shipping governance.

On the same day, the Taicang Maritime Safety Administration and the Jiangyin Office of the Jiangsu Branch of China Classification Society signed the "Memorandum of Cooperation for the Construction of the Eastern Gateway of Yangtze River Shipping," jointly strengthening technical support for ship inspections.