When the first ray of sunlight shone on the southwestern side of the Indian Ocean, the residents of Inyaka Island coincidentally gathered by the seaside. They gazed at the newly completed modern dock bridge, with tears of anticipation and excitement shining in their eyes. For the more than 6000 residents on the island, this day will completely rewrite their travel history - bidding farewell to the difficult years of barefoot wading on the island.

On the day of the grand opening ceremony of the Yinaka Island Pier Bridge project in Mozambique, which was constructed by China Road and Bridge Engineering Co., Ltd., Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chappo personally cut the ribbon at the scene. This sea crossing project, with a total investment of over 13.5 million US dollars and a total length of about 1.3 kilometers, is like a long dragon lying on the waves, tightly connecting the capital Maputo with the "tourist paradise" of Iniaka Island, and opening up the long-awaited "lifeline" for this Indian Ocean pearl.

Say goodbye to wading to the island and connect the "last mile" of tourism

Yinaka Island is about 30 kilometers away from the capital city of Mozambique, Maputo. It has abundant marine resources and unique natural scenery, and has long been a popular vacation destination for international tourists. However, the shallow terrain surrounding the island has become a natural bottleneck restricting its development.

Before the construction of the dock bridge, large passenger ships could not directly dock, and tourists and islanders had to transfer to small boats in deep water areas. They even had to roll up their pants and wade barefoot to shore during low tide. This not only poses serious safety hazards, but also has very low efficiency, becoming a "intestinal obstruction" for the development of local tourism industry. During the peak tourist season, many tourists hesitate to visit the island due to complicated procedures, resulting in a significant loss of business opportunities for the island's homestays, restaurants, and souvenir shops.

Now, with the official completion of this modern dock bridge, the aforementioned history has come to a complete end. This project is carefully crafted by China Road and Bridge Corporation and can adapt to the docking needs of ships under different tide conditions. Large passenger ships can smoothly arrive at the port, and tourists can leisurely board the island through spacious and sturdy piers, achieving a qualitative leap in both passenger transport safety and efficiency. Children on the island no longer have to worry about getting their books wet on their way to school, and the elderly are no longer afraid of the risk of wading through water during the rainy season.

Chinese enterprise intelligence breaks the deadlock, achieving a win-win situation for ecology and economy

During the construction process, the China Road and Bridge project team demonstrated extraordinary engineering wisdom and a high sense of social responsibility. Due to the project being located on an island with shallow waters in the surrounding area, large transport ships are unable to approach, and over 30000 tons of construction materials are all transported by barges from the mainland. The Chinese team worked closely with local shipping companies to optimize the scheduling plan, ensuring the timely supply of tens of thousands of steel pipe piles, thousands of tons of cement and other materials, and staged a wonderful "material relay" on the turbulent sea.

It is worth mentioning that the project is located adjacent to the ecologically sensitive waters of Maputo National Park, with extremely strict environmental protection requirements. Wang Lijun, General Manager of China Road and Bridge Corporation Mozambique Branch, stated that since the start of construction in 2024, the company has prioritized ecological protection and strictly implemented full cycle environmental management. Not only does it entrust third-party authoritative institutions to regularly monitor the quality of seawater and air, but it also promises and implements the "zero waste residue" policy, transporting all construction waste back to the mainland for professional treatment, ensuring that this blue sea area is not polluted in any way.

After inspecting the construction site, representatives of local environmental organizations exclaimed, "Chinese companies have proven through practical actions that large-scale infrastructure construction can coexist harmoniously with ecological environment protection

New dock brings new hope, president praises bridge of development

Standing on the brand new pier, Bruno Chanikomo, a local tour guide on Iniaca Island, gazed into the distance with hope in his eyes. He excitedly said, "In the past, many tourists gave up coming here because it was too troublesome to land on the island, and we could only watch the business opportunities slip away. Now this bridge is amazing, big ships can dock directly, and more and more tourists will come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Our days as business people will also get better and better

Local fishermen have also seen new opportunities. They plan to transport freshly caught seafood directly to the mainland market through the dock, without worrying about spoilage caused by delays in transportation. The owner of the first seafood restaurant on the island has started planning to expand its business scale and prepare for the upcoming tourism boom.

Mozambique President Chappo emphasized at the opening ceremony that this dock bridge is a "bridge of development" connecting the island and the mainland. It will significantly improve local transportation conditions, promote efficient flow of people and goods, and create unprecedented new opportunities for the tourism industry and overall economic development of Inaca Island. He particularly thanks the Chinese government and people for their valuable support to Mozambique's economic and social development. Key words: the Belt and Road news network, modern wharf infrastructure

With the official opening of the dock bridge, the pearl of the Indian Ocean, Inaka Island, is radiating new vitality and energy. With the help of Chinese enterprises, the door of this "tourist paradise" has opened to the world, and a better future is beckoning to the island residents.Editor/Gao Xue