Marine authorities in Shenzhen will conduct sea-based anti-terrorism drills in a bid to tighten maritime security, a senior official said on Friday.

"Under the command of the public security authorities, our marine force has been put on high alert and is equipped to deal with any potential threat," Wang Jinfu, deputy director-general of the maritime safety administration (MSA), told China Daily in an exclusive interview.

The Ministry of Communications, which oversees the MSA, has dispatched seven teams to supervise anti-terrorism drills by local maritime safety departments across the country, he said.

"The exercises will involve not only ships but also port facilities, transport vehicles, gas stations around the ports and buildings under construction in surrounding areas," Wang said.

Some sea areas will be put under temporary control if any threat is detected, he said.

As well as remaining vigilant in sea areas, the MSA will increase the frequency of its boat patrols on rivers, especially those that have major bridges, to avert the risk terrorist attack, Wang said.

"While advanced surveillance equipment is used at ports, patrol boats are used to monitor inland rivers, which means identifying and dealing with incidents takes more time, especially on non-key rivers," he said.

The increased patrols will ensure better security on the nation's waterways, he said.

They will also help to reduce the number of accidents on rivers, he said.

Over the past 12 months there have been several cases of vessels colliding with bridges. In June of last year, nine people were killed when the Jiujiang Bridge in Guangdong province collapsed after being hit by a barge.

Similarly, on March 27, four sailors, including the ship's captain, were killed when the cargo vessel they were on crashed into a bridge that was under construction near the eastern seaport of Ningbo, Zhejiang province.

"There is no evidence of terrorists being involved in these cases.

"The collisions were caused by technical errors on the part of the captains and crews," Wang said.

In 2004, China introduced the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, which includes security measures for dealing with possible terrorist attacks.

The country has been on high alert following an attempt by "Eastern Turkestan" separatists to crash a Southern Airlines plane.

(China Daily, April 23, 2008)