Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said Thursday efforts should be speeded up to promote the modernization of water transport.

Zeng wrote to a work conference on China's water transport that opened in Beijing Thursday, emphasizing that relevant departments should intensify monitoring and management and ensure water transport safety and order.

The conference followed a bridge collapse incident that left nine dead in south China's Guangdong Province in June.

Water transport has made significant achievement since the country's opening-up, and China should actively promote further development of the industry and speed up its modernization process, Zeng said.

Zeng pointed out that authorities should provide the sector with more policy support.

Meanwhile, the industry should also increase capacities, accelerate structural adjustment, boost inland waterways transport and make continuous progress in sea transport, he said.

China has nearly 200,000 vessels with combined capacities of more than 100 million tons. Harbors in the country handled 5.6 billion tons of goods in 2006. Inland waterways run 120,000 kilometers.

Editor: Yan