Heavy fog in Shanghai disrupted air and road transport on Thursday morning, said local officials.

 

Four highways were closed entirely or partially due to the heavy fog.

 

 

Over 20 flights at Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport were postponed and one flight to Guangzhou was canceled after 6:00 AM. The flights were resumed gradually when the fog faded, according to the airport officials.

 

Boats on Yangtze River were canceled due to the reduced visibility.

 

A passenger ship carrying 321 commuters from Zhejiang Province to Shanghai finally made it to the city yesterday afternoon, 24 hours after it was expected to arrive at the Wusong Port.

 

The ship was delayed several times by heavy fog, which has been causing havoc for boats operating along the Yangtze River this week.

 

Maritime authorities told almost all ships running along the river to drop anchor or immediately head to port at midnight on Wednesday as fog greatly reduced visibility along the waterway.

 

Shipping was reopened for two hours for large ships early Wednesday morning, but was shut down again when the fog got heavier, according to Gong San, an officer with the Wusong Maritime Safety Administration.

 

Many passenger vessels running between Shanghai's mainland and neighboring provinces as well as three local islands have been delayed over the past two days.

 

"Currently, we only allow some of the passenger vessels to resume with their voyages when conditions improve to avoid holding up passengers too long. However, safety is the first concern," said Gong.

 

Boats running between downtown and Hengsha Island, which is near the mouth of the Yangtze, were still suspended as of last night, while boats running to two other nearby islands were allowed to resume operations yesterday afternoon.

 

The ship that finally arrived in Shanghai yesterday after a 24-hour journey had to call for supplies yesterday morning after it was forced to drop anchor seven kilometers from its destination. Bottled water and food were delivered to the ship by speed boats, according to Gong.

 

The vessel finally arrived at the Wusong Port around 2pm, according to maritime officials.

 

Heavy fog had been disturbing shipping traffic along local waterways near the mouth of the Yangtze River and thousands of vessels, most of which are cargo ships, had been influenced every day.

 

About 100 passengers aboard the passenger ship Dazhong for a trip between downtown Shanghai and Chongming Island were forced to spend the night on the river after serious fog led to similar traffic restrictions on January 18.

 

(Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai Daily February 9, 2007)