Containers seen at a port in Anji county, Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz66.com] 

Three water transport companies have been registered in Huzhou's Anji county this year to date, bringing the total number of such companies in the county to seven.

The increase in the number of industry players is a reflection of the county's growing water transport capacity.

Data from local transport authorities show vessels registered in Anji now have a combined capacity of 440,400 dead-weight tons, with the average tonnage of a ship reaching 750.3 DWT.

This is the sixth year in a row that the county has topped the inland county-level areas in Zhejiang in terms of average tonnage. 

These results are mainly due to the concerted efforts of local authorities to enhance water transport capacity and phase out old and small ships.

To date, 118 ships have been decommissioned in Anji, and more than 13 million yuan ($1.86 million) in subsidies have been issued by local government to cover the owners' losses.

Incentives are provided to bring in container ships and multi-purpose vessels. This year, Anji added six container ships with a total capacity of 1,824 TEUs. 

Next, priority will be given to developing standardized ships that are of 1,000-ton class or above, and adopting more new-energy powered vessels, local authorities said.