Taking 9 ports above designated size below Nanjing of the Yangtze River as beneficiaries of the 12.5 m deepwater navigation channel,this paper analyzes and evaluates the impact and practical benefits of the 12.5 m deepwater navigation channel on ports along the Yangtze River below Nanjing by the data of port throughput from 2009 to 2017.The results show that the total cargo throughput of ports along the Yangtze River increases steadily as a whole since the opening of the 12.5 m deepwater navigation channel,and the annual growth rate of cargo throughput increases 8% when the deepwater navigation channel first opens to Nanjing in 2016.The total cargo throughput of the major ports below Nanjing in 2017 (2.425 billion tons) is 1.8 times that of the deepwater navigation channel before its opening in 2009.The increasing extent of the container throughput is the most obvious after the opening of the deepwater navigation channel,but the proportion of bulk cargo throughput has a slight decline compared with that of before opening.The economic benefit of ports along the Yangtze River below Nanjing increases steadily for 8 years of opening.The economic benefit of ports along the Yangtze River generated in 2017 (1.34 billion yuan) is nearly 60% higher than that in 2010.With the continuous improvement of conditions for channel,ships and ports or wharfs along the Yangtze River in the future,the comprehensive benefits of the 12.5 m deepwater navigation channel below Nanjing of the Yangtze River will be further highlighted.