A grounded ship has blocked traffic on the Yangtze River, one of
China's main waterways, for more than 28 hours, sources with local
officials said on Thursday night.
The total number of ships affected was not known.
The cargo ship, registered in southwest China's Chongqing
Municipality and carrying 3,400 tons of coal, was grounded at 6:54
p.m. on Wednesday in the Jianli section in the middle reaches of
the Yangtze, said Li Zhiqiang, head of the Jianli waterway
section.
The ship's water gauge was at 3.5 meters, well above the
section's navigable water depth of 2.9 meters, Li said.
Workers are unloading coal from the ship in an effort to refloat
it. While the work continues, local maritime authorities have
imposed a navigation ban over the affected section of the
waterway.
The most severe autumn drought in 50 years has worsened silting
in the Yangtze, with water levels in some sections falling one
meter lower than last year.
Local river bureau authorities had to start dredging much
earlier than in previous years and used more dredgers to clear the
silt.
(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2007)