BEIJING — China's waterway cargo transport kept the trend of steady growth in the first three quarters of this year, reporting a 4.7-percent year-on-year increase in freight volume, official data shows.

More than 6.29 billion metric tons of cargo were transported via waterway in the country during the period, according to the Ministry of Transport.

In September alone, China's waterways handled 717.17 million tons of cargo, said the ministry.

During the Jan-Sept period, Central China's Hubei province continued to lead the expansion of waterway cargo volume among provincial-level regions, logging a year-on-year growth of 24.6 percent.

Following Hubei, Northeast China's Liaoning province and South China's Hainan province also remained among the leading regions in terms of waterway cargo expansion.