Beijing: A northern China port that is one
of the world's largest was facing the worst ice conditions in
30 years today, and ice-breaking ships were working to keep
the path to it open.
Some ships were having trouble reaching the port at
Tianjin, the port for China's capital, Beijing, and the third
largest in the country, China Central Television said. Footage
showed ships on the Bohai Gulf working to keep shipping lanes
open.
About 40 people had already been saved from ships in
danger from the ice, the state-run Xinhua News Agency cited
maritime officials as saying.
The region has been hit by its worst winter weather
in decades over the past week, including Beijing's coldest
morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since
1951.
Temperatures over the next week in Beijing are
forecast to remain below freezing. The sea ice along the coast
of the Bohai Gulf was the most serious in 30 years, China
National Radio reported today afternoon.
China's transport minister, Li Shenglin, urged
authorities to work to prevent accidents, Xinhua reported.
In 2008, the Tianjin port was among the top 15 in
the world in container handling, according to the Web site of
its operator, Tianjin Port Development Holdings Ltd. The port
60 miles southeast of Beijing has a sprawling export zone
designed to spur the region's growth.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 09, 2010, 20:37