Icebound Bohai Bay challenges shipping

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As a cold front continued to batter most parts of China, a sea of ice is paralyzing shipping trade and logistics in the northeastern Liaoning Province. It is the time of the year when ships, ferries and barges come to a standstill because of a frozen sea.

At the port of Yingkou, tugboats are used to clear the freezing routes.

At the port of Yingkou – the second-largest port in northeast China, tugboats are on duty to clear routes through the frozen sea. /CGTN Photo

Su Jingdong from the Tug and barge department of Yingkou port told CGTN that a build-up of ice on ships can cause serious damage, so the tug boats are important to provide barging services for cargo vessels trapped in ice.

With no sign of things getting warmer, the ice in Bohai Bay continues to develop fast. Currently, over 40 percent of the area is covered by thick ice.

The local marine forecasting center is about to issue a blue alert – the lowest in China's four-tier color-coded warning system.

With no sign of things getting warmer, the ice in Bohai Bay continues to develop fast. /CGTN Photo

“It can be very dangerous to walk on the frozen sea. Once we issue the alert, people can be well informed and relevant governmental bodies will start taking measures accordingly,” said Yuan Benkun, a research fellow from North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center.

The port of Yingkou has another job at hand – to facilitate grain transportation from the country's northeast to the south.

And port authorities are not about to let this icy build-up cause any delays. As well as having countermeasures to ensure smooth operations, the port has given top priority to those ships with grain on board.

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