The fog engulfing Shanghai this week has had major flow-on effects, including a dire shortage of thermal coal, disruption to water, air and land traffic and a deterioration in air quality.

The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration yesterday opened emergency water channels to allow coal-supply vessels to make deliveries. Administration officials said continuous fog had caused water visibility to drop below 100 meters on the Huangpu River and waterways at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Shipping traffic was suspended, keeping regular coal-supply vessels out of city waterways.

By yesterday, the city's coal supply for electricity generation had reached crisis point, prompting the authority to open green channels for large delivery vessels.

The administration is giving priority whenever possible to the coal ships that must use the deep-water channel to reach the city's major power plants. Coal vessels with minor defects will also be allowed to operate as a temporary measure to help relieve the shortage.

Daqing 63, a vessel carrying 20,000 tons of coal, pulled into Luojin dock under heavy fog yesterday. The coal arrived just in time to support continued operation of the Luojin Power Plant.

General shipping traffic at the mouth of the Yangtze was only open for about an hour after 9 pm on Wednesday before all vessels were required to stop and anchor or return to ports.

As of late yesterday afternoon, shipping traffic was still suspended, with some vessels already stuck for days.

Authorities said yesterday more than 500 incoming ships were waiting at sea to visit Shanghai.

The fog caused delays or cancellations of nearly 200 incoming and departing flights at the two city airports from midnight on Wednesday until last night. As of 6 pm yesterday, Hongqiao Airport resumed normal operations but Pudong International Airport had limited traffic.

The city's road expressway network was in shutdown by 7:08 am yesterday. Just before 10 am all highways returned to normal service except the Jiangsu Province section of the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway.

Most downtown areas had visibility of about 100 to 600 meters, and in the suburbs, it was under 100 meters. Nanhui District had the lowest of 50 meters, the bureau said.

Air in the city was "slightly polluted" for the three days.

Shanghai was not alone in the fog, with several cities in eastern China suspending ferry services and flights and reporting traffic chaos. In Nanjing, 250 flights were delayed when fog reduced visibility at Lukou Airport to less than 50 meters.

Today is expected to be the last day of fog for Shanghai in the short term, as a cold front hits, bringing strong wind.

(Shanghai Daily January 11, 2008)