Data show that in the first quarter of this year, the number of ships going down Changzhou Lock was 13056, accounting for 75% of the total cargo volume of Changzhou Lock. The main cargo was gravel, cement, machine-made sand, stone powder, etc., accounting for about 68% of the total cargo volume, and the main destinations were Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Foshan and Zhuhai.
Changzhou Lock is the "throat" of Xijiang Golden Waterway leading to Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Bay Area, and the key channel for Guangxi cement to export to Guangdong market. In the
first quarter of this year, the volume of Xijiang Golden Waterway Lock achieved double-digit growth. As of March 31, 2024, the cargo volume of Xijiang Joint Dispatching Lock reached 93.1606 million tons, an increase of 37% over the previous year, of which the cargo volume of Changzhou Lock was 42.1296 million tons, an increase of 56.69% over the previous year. The export of Guangxi cement to Guangdong market continued to increase.
In recent years, the contradiction between supply and demand in Guangxi cement market is severe, and increasing export has become an important "way out" for local enterprises. According to the data of
China Cement Network, another 3.255 million tons of clinker production capacity will be put into operation in Guangxi in 2023, and the total clinker production capacity will reach 0.12 million tons 10649, ranking third in the country, second only to Anhui and Guangdong. Guangdong, as a neighboring province of Guangxi, bears the brunt of the impact. In previous years, the annual amount of foreign cement in Guangdong Province was about 25 million tons, most of which were Guangxi cement.
It is worth mentioning that at present, Guangxi is vigorously supporting cement enterprises to expand the market and inventory, which is expected to increase the impact of Guangxi on the Guangdong market.
According to the "Several Policies and Measures to Promote the Steady Growth of Industrial Economy in the Second Quarter of 2024" issued recently by the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the building materials industry focuses on helping cement enterprises to expand the market and remove inventory, striving to increase the cumulative output value by more than 2% in the first half of the year. In terms of shipping, we should optimize the operation and dispatch of Xijiang Lock, improve the efficiency of navigation and the number of locks, and speed up the passage of industrial products. We will strengthen import and export customs clearance services for industrial enterprises, establish and improve the white list of key enterprises, and improve the efficiency of import and export customs clearance.
In addition, Guangxi is speeding up the construction of a transportation corridor connecting the Great Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and has completed a number of waterway projects such as the 3000-ton waterway project from Guigang to Wuzhou. The Xijiang shipping trunk line below Guigang is navigable to 3000-ton ships; The second-line ship lock of Xijin Water Conservancy Project and the second-line ship lock of Honghua Water Conservancy Project have been completed, the 3000-ton ship lock of Xijiang Shipping Trunk Line has been completed, and the high-grade inland waterway network of "trunk and branch connection" has been basically completed. We will also strive to start construction of the 3000-ton waterway project from Nanning (Niuwan) to Guigang as soon as possible, further improve the smooth and efficient Xijiang Golden Waterway Network, and make every effort to build a major waterway to support the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
With the improvement of Xijiang transport capacity and transportation conditions, the impact of Guangxi cement and sand on Guangdong market will be more serious. At a time when the
industry is facing severe challenges, it is of immeasurable strategic significance and practical utility to actively promote the upgrading of large-scale production equipment and actively promote the energy-saving technological innovation and environmental protection upgrading and transformation of the cement industry, so as to enhance the core competitiveness of cement enterprises and realize the grand blueprint of sustainable development of the industry.
To this end, China Cement Network will hold the 11th China Cement Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Technology Exchange Conference-Equipment Renewal Forum in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province on June 13-14. This forum will gather government leaders, industry technical specialist, scientific research institutions, universities, cement enterprises and equipment suppliers to discuss and analyze the practical path of equipment renewal and green upgrading in the cement industry, so as to promote the industry to move towards a more energy-efficient, greener and environmentally friendly future.
