Sea Ice in Bohai Sea: Ice-covered Bohai Bay cripples fish stocks and logistics

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Meanwhile, a cold front is also paralyzing shipping trade and logistics in northern Liaoning Province. CGTN's GUAN YANG has this report from the frozen waters of the Bohai Bay.

It is the time of the year, hips, ferries and barges come to a standstill because of a frozen sea. At the port of Yingkou, tug boats are called to clear the routes.

SU JINGDONG, VICE MANAGER TUG & BARGE DEPT, YINGKOU PORT, LIAONING PROVINCE "A build-up of ice on ships can cause serious damage. That's why these tug boats are here to provide barging services for cargo vessels trapped in ice."

GUAN YANG BOHAI SEA "The Bohai Gulf is the only gateway for sea-based trade routes which come in and out of China's northeast. And with temperatures failing to warm up over the past few days, the sea of ice is paralyzing fish stocks and logistics, and causing a struggle for large cargo ships and ferries to operate."

With no signs of temperatures warming up, the ice in Bohai bay continues to develop fast. At present over 40 percent of the area is covered in 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. "

YUAN BENKUN, RESEARCH FELLOW NORTH CHINA SEA MARINE FORECASTING CENTER "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."

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.

LIN YONG, MANAGER GRAIN TRANSPORTATION DEPT., YINGKOU PORT "The port has given top priority to those ships with grain on board. If the sea ice phenomenon gets worse, we also have countermeasures to ensure smooth operations."

GUAN YANG, CGTN, LIAONING PROVINCE.