Marine Safety Authorities in Nanjing announced on 19 August that they will set up inspection points along the Nanjing section of the Yangtze River to check the weight of passing vessels. Overloading is the main cause of accidents on the Yangtze, according to official statistics. Between 6 and 15 May, officials from the Nanjing MSA randomly selected 752 vessels for on-the-spot inspections and 258 of them, or more than one third, were found to be overloaded and were issued with fines.

From 20 August, all passing vessel operators are obliged to co-operate and those who overload will be taken to the nearest terminal to lighten and then receive possible punishment.