WUHAN, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Major ports on China's largest river the Yangtze posted a total throughput of 1.5 billion tonnes in the first half year (H1), up 8 percent year on year.
The east-west inland waterway is regarded as the country's "golden shipping route."
China's heavy investment to smooth out the deep-water channel of the lower stream of the river has taken effect with the throughput of standard containers shipped via the river in H1 topping 9.4 million TEU, up 5.3 percent year on year.
The cargo throughput via the five-tier ship lock at the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project in the upper stream of Yangtze, reached 73.17 million tonnes in H1, up 8.2 percent year on year.
Tang Guanjun, director of the Yangtze River Administration of Navigational Affairs, said that the administration approved 4.05 billion yuan of fixed asset investment on 113 construction projects in H1 to facilitate shipping on the river, with the budget setting a new record.
The administration has applied an electronic channel map for navigation of the whole river and introduced new-generation service facilities such as unmanned survey ships, drones and electric dredgers to protect the river's shipping.
