Recently, a rare scene appeared at the boundary point between Wuxi and Changzhou on the Sunan Canal: three large vessels without self-propulsion slowly moved forward under the tow of tugboats, entering the Xili Cao River from the Sunan Canal. It is reported that the vessels entering the inland waterways of Wuxi this time shoulder the important task of constructing the Taihu Tunnel for the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou South Expressway, and also set a record for the widest navigable vessel in Wuxi's inland waters.

　　Currently, the construction of the Taihu Tunnel for the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou South Expressway is progressing in an orderly manner. Due to the project construction needs, the task of these three vessels is to enter Taihu Lake and carry out piling for the underwater tunnel of the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou South Expressway. Previously, the maximum width of navigable vessels in Wuxi's inland waterways was 10.8 meters. Among the three over-width vessels escorted by the maritime department this time, the piling vessel "Sanhang Pile No. 9" has a length of 40 meters and a width of 22 meters. The other two barges, "Sanhang Barge No. 192" and "Sanhang Barge No. 193", are 70 meters long and 14 meters wide, mainly responsible for stacking steel piles, concrete piles, and ancillary equipment. Together with seven tugboats providing power, they form a fleet. The navigation route of this voyage is: from the Yangtze River through the Jianbi Lock in Zhenjiang into the inland river, along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, Zhihu Port, Xili Cao River, Wushen Canal, and finally from Yixing Chengdong Port into Taihu Lake, with a total route of about 155 kilometers. During this period, local maritime departments in Zhenjiang, Changzhou, and Wuxi relayed escort duties.

　　The Wuxi local maritime department undertook the escort task for the fleet within the Wuxi jurisdiction. To ensure the safe navigation of the engineering vessels, the maritime department closed the Sunan Canal to traffic in advance. Escorted by the maritime departments of Zhenjiang and Changzhou, the fleet arrived at Zhihu Port and entered Wuxi jurisdiction at around 10:30 AM yesterday as scheduled. The Wuxi local maritime department immediately dispatched six maritime patrol boats for on-site command and guidance, and implemented temporary traffic control in the waters passed through to prevent unrelated vessels from overtaking and colliding. At the same time, through remote monitoring by the city's water traffic command center and three-dimensional patrol by drones, it fully ensured navigation safety.

　　According to reports, the Wuxi local maritime department dispatched a total of 48 person-times of maritime personnel and 12 vessel-times of maritime patrol boats, covering about 53 kilometers. Among them, the Xili Cao River is a key section of the entire escort task, with about 19 bridges of low clearance height along the way, bringing greater difficulty to vessel passage. To ensure the smooth navigation of the fleet, the maritime department intervened in advance, communicated and discussed escort details with CCCC Third Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. multiple times, clarified dangerous sections and nodes, and issued navigation notices in advance, formulating a detailed escort plan. Under the joint guarantee of multiple departments, it is expected that around 4 PM today, these three over-width large vessels will arrive at the destination of this voyage—Yixing Chengdong Port Anchorage. After installing equipment here, they will enter Taihu Lake to carry out piling operations for the underwater tunnel of the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou South Expressway.