Workers have managed to affix the first of 26 steel cables to the capsized ship in the Huangpu River, making way through its 20-meter-wide deck, the thick silt and stones on the river bed.

The cables, each 1.07 meters wide, will link to six pairs of floating buoy canisters.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration, which is in charge of the salvage, has increased the number of divers from a dozen to 45 as the mercury has dropped below zero these days in Shanghai, Youth Daily reported today.

"Our divers were forced to shorten their operation hours and they have to carry heating sticks to keep warm in the water," an official with the administration said.

The salvage is expected to be complete before the Chinese Lunar New Year on February 18, said the official. The wreck was scheduled to be pulled out within 30 days when the salvage began on December 25, said a previous report.

"It continues to incline," said the official with the administration. "The ship now sits at a 14-degree angle in the water, 2.5 degrees more than weeks ago when it began to flood and capsized on December 2."

An underwater investigation on December 10 showed that the ship's bottom is buried under two meters of silt, while divers found waste, mainly iron scraps and steel wires, entangling the wreck.

The divers also discovered 10 holes, ranging from seven to 10 square meters, on the deck, filling the vessel with water and silt.

"These all add to the difficulties of salvaging," the official said. "However, we're still lucky that the surface of the river is not frozen."

Insiders said the salvage project will cost less than the earlier forecast of 20 million yuan (US$2.55 million).

(Shanghai Daily January 8, 2007)