All boats sailing the Yangtze River between the Three Gorges Dam and the Bianyuxi, a river separating Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality, now have to stay to the right, under a new navigation rule that took effect yesterday, according to the State Maritime Safety Administration (SMSA).

Boats that sail this stretch, which runs westward from the dam for more than 100 kilometres, have, for centuries, used slower currents when going upstream and faster currents when going downstream.

Although it may take time for sailors to get used to the new rule, Liu Gongchen, SMSA executive vice-director, insisted this change was essential to further develop transport on the river.

"The traditional use of currents helped save energy in the old days when boats generally had less power, but it also resulted in more chaos, undermining the development of transport on the river,'' he said.

Liu said the amount of cargo carried along the river from Southwest China's Sichuan Province was expected to reach 50 million tons in 2015.

He also said the advantages of the old sailing rule were negligible compared to the positive impacts of the Three Gorges project on the river's upper reaches and the high-powered boats available today.

"With the Three Gorges Reservoir raising water levels up to 135 metres, water in the upper reaches of the river now is deeper with slower currents. Consequently, the speed of upstream and downstream currents do not vary much,'' Liu said.

As for those boats without the power to adapt to the new rule, Liu said the administration believed they should no longer sail the river. "We want the fleet on the Yangtze River to be upgraded under this new rule,'' he said.

The administration is also using several hundred pilot lamps, along with other navigation aids, to mark out various sailing zones, each of which has different rules. Explanations of the different zones have been handed out to transport companies, which have been invited to consult local navigational authorities if they have questions.

A similar reform was carried out in July on the Yangtze River within the boundaries of East China's Jiangsu Province, one of the most prosperous sections of the river. According to Liu, other parts of the river can expect the changes to be introduced in the next few years.

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