Two waterways – the Taipingfu and Yuxikou – located between Wuhu and Maanshan in Anhui province will become part of the Yangtze trunk line network from 1 October, according to Mr Tang Guanjun, Director of Yangtze River Administration under the Ministry of Transport. This means that for the first time in history, the administration will lay light buoys and other navigational aids along the tributaries which are otherwise the responsibility of the local government. The waterways, just under 40km in length, will also be maintained at a standard set down by the administration, currently at a water depth of three metres and a width of 100 metres in the dry season and a water depth of 4.5 metres and a width of 100 metres in the rainy season.

This move is part of a strategy in the 12th five-year plan to extend the Yangtze shipping network from the trunk line to its major tributaries, according to Mr Tang. The stretch will be operated on a one-year trial run basis.

It is hoped that the move will attract bigger vessels into the tributaries and help boost local economies.