Recently, the second channel of Hangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, constructed by CCCC's Second Harbor Engineering, was officially opened to navigation at the southernmost tip of the canal in Hangzhou. With this development, thousand-ton ships can now sail downstream from Shandong directly to Hangzhou, and enter the Qiantang River through the second channel, thereby eliminating a crucial bottleneck in Zhejiang Province's inland waterway network for thousand-ton ships.

The second channel of the Hangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal consists of the newly excavated channel section and the Babao Locks section, with a total length of 26.4 kilometers. The project commenced construction in December 2017 and was completed in June 2023.

The Babao Locks section, built by CCCC's Second Harbor Engineering, is a dual-line ship lock with a one-way annual capacity of 42 million tons. It is the second waterway hub connecting the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Qiantang River, following the Sanbao Locks section.

With the operation of the second channel, the navigational capacity of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal will be greatly enhanced, enabling seamless connection with the Hangzhou-Ningbo Canal and the middle and upper reaches of the Qiantang River. This achievement holds significant importance in leveraging the strategic role of the Grand Canal as a golden waterway.