Yangtze Maritime Safety Authorities have published for the first time a list of 33 safe locations in the Three Gorges Reservoir for vessels in distress. These locations typically have a water depth of 15-40 metres over a sandy river bed with a slope of 30 degrees. Vessels in distress while sailing in the reservoir are advised to head for the safety locations and report to the nearest MSA office. MSA officials believe that heading for these safety spots will help improve salvation success rates.

Over the course of a year, the water in the reservoir ranges between 145 metres and 175 metres. In August 2009, 62 containers fell into the Three Gorges from a container barge, 12 of which contained chemicals. As China lacks the necessary salvation expertise to salvage from a depth greater than 45 metres, efforts to remove the containers were abandoned.