China launched on Tuesday a gravel leveling barge, Yihangjinping 2, that will serve a key role in the construction of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge in South China's Guangdong Province.
The bridge is a massive infrastructure project that will link areas within a one-hour radius of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Launched in a shipyard in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu Province, Yihangjinping 2, the largest self-elevating gravel leveling barge built by port machinery manufacturer ZPMC, will lay down gravel in a deep river bed with extremely high precision, read a statement the company sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.
The tolerance is 4 centimeters and the vessel can be compared to a 3D printer operating in deep water, the statement said.
A sister ship, Yihangjinping 1, took part in the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which opened in 2018 as a world-leading engineering feat.
Yihangjinping 2 boasts higher efficiency and automation than the earlier ship.
After the vessel lays down a level foundation, sunken tubes used to construct the underwater tunnels will be placed on it.
Construction of the 100-meter-long boat started in July 2018.
The vessel will come to the mouth of the Pearl River, where the bridge will be built, after a three-month voyage.
The 24-kilometer bridge that will connect Shenzhen and Zhongshan in 2024 is expected to further promote the integration of the Greater Bay Area.
