Safety of cruiseships in China waterways under renewed scrutiny

Beijing

FOR much of recorded history, travelling up the Yangtze had meant braving turbulent currents and shoals. In recent years, a more prosaic risk has been growing: poorly maintained ships and inexperienced crews.

Nature can still play a role. Initial reports indicate that the capsizing of a cruise ship on Monday may have been partly caused by hurricane-force winds that hit the ship in the early hours of the morning. But most of the challenges facing passenger ships in China's waterways are economic, brought about by cutthroat competition in the passenger ship industry.