BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The volume of cargo transported on domestic water routes in China increased 8.6 percent year on year to 2.24 billion tonnes during the first four months of the year, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.

In April alone, the volume of water cargo amounted to 599.1 million tonnes.

North China's Shanxi Province witnessed the fastest growth in the volume of water cargo during the first four months, up 221.1 percent from one year earlier.

However, south China's Jiangxi Province reported a fall in water cargo volume, retreating 11.8 percent year on year.

Data also showed that 81.93 million passengers traveled by ship in China during the four-month period, marking a year-on-year decline of 2.7 percent.

North China's port city of Tianjin saw robust growth in the number of water ship passengers, rising 34.8 percent year on year. Provincial-level regions including Zhejiang, Shandong, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, Gansu and Qinghai also reported growth.