The number of people dead or missing in waterway traffic accidents in China dropped 5.6 percent to 351 in 2008 due to improved safety standards, according to statistics released by the country's Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) on Thursday.

In 2008, there were 342 waterway traffic accidents, down 18.6 percent year-on-year. A total of 213 vessels sank in 2008. Total losses amounted to 518.9 million yuan (US$75.94 million), up 29.1 percent.

Vice director of the administration Liu Gongchen said the statistics showed improvement in China's maritime safety. The country's water territory carries more than 1 million people and about 50,000 ships everyday.

Multiple measures have been taken in the last year to build up a safer water traffic network, including reinforcing security inspections, establishing a database for major water routes along rivers and coasts, and improving safety facilities such as navigation markers to guide water traffic, according to Liu.

"It's of high importance to keep a firm grasp on safety work at a time when shipping companies have been fighting fiercely for market share amid financial crisis," Liu said.

The MSA organized 356,791 safety patrols in China's sea territories covering 7.7 million nautical miles, up 10.5 percent and 13.8 percent from 2007 in number and distance respectively.

The maritime regulator also increased the number of safety checks on foreign ships in Chinese waterways. The number of foreign vessels inspected increased 9.37 percent to 4,540 year on year in 2008. Among them, 557 were detained for severe safety concerns such as unqualified fire fighting and rescue equipment and lack of deck force. The figure was up 9.75 percent from a year earlier.

"Strict safety inspections are a fundamental measure to reduce accidents on Chinese waters," said Liu.

Other measures included stricter regulations on sailor recruitment and a supervision system to warm ships against disastrous weather such as storms and cyclones.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2009)