Promoting High-Quality Development of Inland Navigation | Henan’s First Local Regulation on Inland Navigation Has Been Issued

Recently, the "Henan Province Inland Waterway Shipping Regulations" (referred to as the "Regulations") was passed by the Henan Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee and will officially take effect on July 1, 2026. This is Henan's first comprehensive and systematic local regulation in the field of inland waterway shipping.

In recent years, Henan has continuously implemented the inland waterway shipping "11246" project, vigorously promoting the construction of "golden waterways" such as the Shaying River and Huai River. By the end of 2025, the province's inland waterway navigation mileage will reach 1,825 kilometers, and port throughput will reach 71.62 million tons. However, Henan's inland waterway shipping still faces shortcomings in navigation capacity, port capability, and safety management. The introduction of the "Regulations" coordinates the planning, construction, maintenance, and protection of waterways and ports from a holistic perspective, leveraging the guiding role of the rule of law to address development bottlenecks through sound legislation and governance.

To address issues such as overlapping responsibilities and insufficient coordination in waterway and port construction management, the "Regulations" establish a tiered management mechanism of "provincial coordination for main lines, municipal responsibility for branch lines," clearly defining the management boundaries at the provincial, municipal, and county levels to achieve efficient collaboration. Additionally, the "Regulations" solidify the overall layout of "two vertical, two horizontal, four main lines, and six branches" waterways and the "11246" project goals through legislation, ensuring the continuity and stability of waterway and port construction, and guaranteeing the thorough implementation of the main sea-access channels in Central China, such as the Shaying River, Huai River, and Tang River.

Furthermore, the "Regulations" include a dedicated chapter on "Development and Support," incorporating provisions on port economy and multimodal transport into the legal framework. It proposes the full utilization of port resources, planning and constructing port industrial parks, building a modern port industrial system, and promoting deep integration of ports with industries and cities. At the same time, it encourages the creation of high-quality waterway tourism passenger routes and the cultivation of distinctive cultural tourism brands.