Maintenance work has started at the Three Gorges shiplocks, according to the Yangtze River Administration. The locks will be suspended one direction at a time, first at the southern locks between 13 and 15 July and then the northern locks between 16 and 19 of the month (see http://www.yangtzebusinessservices.com/regional-reports-three-gorges-dam.aspx for photographs of the locks on our website).

It is not clear how often these maintenance projects take place each year. However, the Three Gorges Administration gathered more than 70 shipping lines in advance of the closures to warn them of the limited services available and the possibility of congestion during the week.