Wang Jiefa, director of the Jiangyin-based Yangtze Piloting Centre, has promised to improve its services by implementing eight measures announced at a meeting on 18 February. They include starting a round-the-clock operation, giving priority to vessels carrying food and other daily necessities, and publicising piloting schedules that will be arranged on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. He also promised to tackle the problem of pilot shortages for vessels carrying domestic cargo.

Piloting is compulsory for any foreign vessel entering the Yangtze. In recent years, increasing numbers of vessels involved in domestic trade are also applying for piloting services. A shortage of pilots has become a major problem as traffic volumes have been growing faster than the number of new recruits.