The service stopped early Sunday morning due to a major cold front affecting most southern provinces and causing strong gales and heavy rains at sea.

At around 3:30 p.m. Monday, the strong winds began to abate and the ferry service was fully restored, said an official with the Guangdong Hai'an Harbor Administration. Hai'an is the port where most ferry boats depart for Hainan.

There were more than 6,500 passengers and over 800 vehicles stranded in Hai'an due to the disruption. The harbor administration has mobilized five passenger ferries and 40 vehicle ferries to help them reach the other side as early as possible.

It was expected that all stranded passengers would be shipped across the strait by Monday evening and the vehicles be transported by Tuesday noon, harbor sources said.

(People's Daily December 10, 2002)