Since opening of the preliminary opening channel on the second phase of 12.5 m navigation channel project downstream of Nanjing in the Lower Yangtze River，the river regime remains stable generally,the navigation depth is improved gradually,and the dredging volume of channel maintenance meets expectations basically.Overall,the effect of channel regulation appears gradually.The increase of navigation channel depth attracts greatly large ships.The number of arriving ships more than 30,000 tons and ship draught deeper than 9.7 meters downstream of Nanjing in Lower Yangtze River increase remarkably.Furthermore,the ship carrying capacity and actual ship draught on the reaches between Nanjing and Nantong in the Lower Yangtze River also increase.The economic benefit of preliminary opening channel on the second phase of 12.5 m navigation channel project is remarkable.This paper analyzes the application effect of the AIS virtual beacons,navigation safety guarantee,as well as the maintenance mechanism of the navigation channel to provide a guidance and reference for the follow-up construction and maintenance of the second phase of 12.5 m navigation channel project downstream of Nanjing in the Lower Yangtze River.