From 1 July, a new regulation from the Ministry of Transport will take effect that will withdraw non-standardised Ro-Ro vessels from the Three Gorges Reservoir on a compulsory basis. The regulation will affect 69 vessels, equivalent to 60 per cent of Ro-Ro shipping capacity in the reservoir area.

Ro-Ro services have been flourishing over recent years between Chongqing and Yichang, recording growth rates of 35-50 per cent a year. Loaded trucks board vessels in Chongqing and disembark in Yichang, just before the Three Gorges shiplocks.

In a separate development, shipping companies offering Ro-Ro services are in talks with the Yangtze River Administration to look at the possibility of extending their Ro-Ro service licence beyond the shiplocks.