The stranded cargo ship stays aground at a riffle in Zhuerqi water area, the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River on Sunday, Feb 25, 2007. [Photo: Xinhua]

A cargo ship was stranded at noon on Sunday in the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River, interrupting transport on the water route.

Chongqing Evening News reports the ship "Shunfeng No.3," carrying logs aboard, ran aground in the Zhuerqi area as it cruised upstream, being trapped at a riffle by numerous cobblestones.

The local waterway administration sent a rescue boat to the site soon after the accident, planning to move the ship back to deep water. But the effort failed due to the weight of the shipload.

A worker with the administration imputed the accident to a ship sinking last November. He said the wreck led to a change in the river's current and stone deposits.

A boat has been dispatched to dredge up the waterway around the sinking spot, the worker said. But it will have a hard time since it is now the low water season.

The worker warned that traffic through the area may be suspended as long as the ship remains unmoved.

A local professional salvage company had been taking part in the rescue as of Sunday afternoon.

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