Independently developed by China, the world's largest piling vessel, Erhang Changqing (二航长青; “Second Voyage Evergreen”), has made its debut in the East China Sea. Equipped with a world-record 385t cylinder, a 5,000t thrust system, and centimeter-level precision, the vessel has successfully driven a 98.5m steel pipe pile into the seabed rock, accelerating the construction of the world's longest high-speed rail sea-crossing bridge—the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge.

Invested and built by CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., Erhang Changqing is currently the world's tallest piling vessel with the highest pile frame, greatest pile-lifting capacity, the longest piling length and the strongest resistance to wind and wave in the world. The vessel measures 130.5m in length, 40.8m in width, and 8.4m in depth, with a pile frame height of 150m. It is capable of driving piles weighing up to 700t and measuring up to 7m in diameter. The vessel’s core component—a 385t main cylinder measuring nearly 2 meters in diameter and 28m in length—was developed under the leadership of CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. It holds global records in weight, diameter, and length, with a rated thrust of 5,000t, equivalent to lifting 1,000 African elephants at once, each weighing 5t.

The Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge, spanning 29.2km, comprises three channel bridges (north, central, and south) and approach bridges “across the dike, in the middle of the sea, in the shoal area”. This bridge is a critical control project for the newly built Nantong-Ningbo high-speed railway, and it will be the world’s first high-speed rail cross-sea bridge across a strong tidal bay with an ultra-low water resistance ratio.

“In the next two months, Erhang Changqing will drive approximately 200 similar foundation piles. The vessel’s first deployment in Hangzhou Bay marks the transition of this world-class cross-sea high-speed rail project into the rapid phase of offshore foundation piling. By July, the bridge will shift from underwater construction to above-water superstructure works," said Zhang Wei, Deputy Project Manager of CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd.’s Hangzhou Bay Bridge Project. “The deep-sea foundation piles will form the ‘backbone’ that supports the world’s longest and highest-standard high-speed rail cross-sea bridge.”

Once completed, the bridge will connect the newly built Nantong-Ningbo high-speed railway with several major lines, including the Yancheng-Nantong Railway, Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, Shanghai-Kunming High-Speed Railway, and Nanjingnan-Taicang High Speed Railway. This project will play a crucial role in developing a “Rail Transit Network in the Yangtze River Delta,” optimizing the regional railway system, and promoting high-quality integration and development of the Yangtze River Delta region.