A ceremony for the permanent ship lock at the Three Gorges Project to go into trial operation is due to be held on Monday morning.

"The trial navigation will signify a milestone in the shipping history of the Yangtze River," said Yao Yusheng, deputy general engineer of the Yangtze River Navigation Affairs Bureau.

When the water level reached 135 meters on June 10, the Three Gorges Reservoir extended to more than 430 km in length. The waterlevel in the power generating dam area rose by 70 meters.

The Chuanjiang River, part of the Yangtze River in southwest China's Sichuan province, is becoming increasingly wider and deeper with its water flow turning slower and more stable. The navigable sections have increased by hundreds of kilometers in some small branches of Chuanjiang River with the water storage.

The whole Chuanjiang River will be navigable round the clock asthe night shipping ban has been lifted from two parts of the riverdue to the water storage.

The favorable conditions for navigation available in the wake of the water storage would enable shipping teams to enlarge their business and carry more and more freight, said Yao. It was a good opportunity to optimize shipping on the Yangtze River.

(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)