CATIC Beijing handed over a total of 19 dredgers and supporting vessels to Myanmar at the commissioning ceremony held at the Nanthida Jetty of Yangon on Saturday.

The dredgers and supporting vessels imported from China with assistance of a preferential loan provided by the Chinese government arrived in Myanmar in August.

The ceremony was attended by U Nyan Htun Aung, the country's minister of Transport and Yang Houlan, Chinese ambassador to Myanmar.

U Nyan Htun Aung said "because of these new dredgers and supporting vessels from China, our dredging capacity will be increased to reduce the sedimentation problem more effectively for better navigation channels and prevention of floods."

In line with the government's political and economic reform strategies, the Ministry of Transport and the DWIR are also planning to reform the water sector in order to effectively and efficiently manage Myanmar's water resources, he added.

He said, "I also believe that these new dredgers and supporting vessels will contribute towards our endeavors for our country's economic development by enabling the successful realization of sustainable integrated water resources management and development."

Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Yang Houlan disclosed at the ceremony that the Chinese government attached great importance to Sino-Myanmar cooperation in the transport sector, supporting the strength of the Chinese enterprises to actively participate in Myanmar port development, dredging and road and bridge construction.

Yang went on saying that the Chinese government is willing to provide aid, including technical assistance, to promote Myanmar's rapid economic and social development.

About two-thirds of the southeast Asian country is dependent on rivers and their tributaries. The main rivers in Myanmar like Ayeyarwady, Chindwin, Sittaung and Thanlwin are important for transportation, agriculture, hydro-power as well as water supply for urban and rural areas of Myanmar.