Recently, the relocation project of the Guangzhou Water Bus Canton Tower Pier, designed by CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. Harbor Engineering Design Institute (hereinafter referred to as CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Harbor Institute), successfully passed the completion acceptance. The new pier is located on the right bank of the Guangzhou Port East Channel, approximately 1 kilometer downstream of the original pier, adjacent to the Canton Tower Fortune Pier, situated in the core area of the Pearl River waterfront landscape, with superior location conditions.
(Scene photo of the Guangzhou Water Bus Canton Tower Pier, courtesy of CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Harbor Institute)
The project plans to construct one 2000-ton water bus berth, adopting an overall floating pier structure, with supporting fixed approach bridges, fixed platforms, and movable steel approach bridges. The facilities are fully equipped, and the functional layout is reasonable, capable of simultaneously meeting the dual needs of citizens for water commuting and tourists for riverside sightseeing.
As the design unit for this project, CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Harbor Institute was fully responsible for the preliminary design and construction drawing design work. Considering the special hydrological and climatic characteristics of the Pearl River basin, such as frequent typhoons, rapid water level rises during flood seasons, and large water level fluctuations, the design team carried out targeted technical optimization and innovative upgrades, using refined design to solve traditional pier operational pain points.
“Typhoons and rainstorms are frequent in Guangzhou in summer, causing extremely rapid rises in river water levels. Ensuring the stable and safe berthing of pontoons under high water level conditions was the focus of this design,” said Wang Riwang, project designer from CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Harbor Institute. To effectively address safety hazards posed by extreme weather and ensure the safe mooring of pontoons under extreme high water level conditions, the design team optimized the fender pile structure design, appropriately raising the pile top elevation, fundamentally avoiding berthing risks caused by sudden water level rises from the structural root. This innovative design has successfully passed the practical test of the strong typhoon “Huajiasa” in 2025, with the overall pier structure being stable, operating in good condition, and its safety and reliability fully verified.
In addition, based on the refined operational needs of the pier, the design team upgraded and optimized the pier’s supporting systems. An automatic anchor windlass system is installed on the pontoon, which can adjust the anchor chain length in real-time according to water level changes. The anchor chain can be lengthened when the water level rises and shortened when it falls, precisely adapting to water level changes, improving the pier’s adaptability to water level fluctuations, effectively reducing the displacement amplitude of the pontoon, making berthing more stable and operation safer.
After the project is officially put into use, it will effectively alleviate the cross-river and along-river road traffic pressure in the Canton Tower area, optimize the layout of the urban water public transportation network, further improve the Pearl River cruise cultural tourism infrastructure system, continuously upgrade the quality of Guangzhou’s waterfront water tourism services, create a more comfortable and safer water commuting and sightseeing experience for citizens and tourists, and contribute to the high-quality development of Guangzhou’s Pearl River cultural tourism.
