Dalian: The extraordinary cold weather in northern China is creating navigational hazards as well as ensuring a huge crunch on the nation's energy supplies.
China may be forced to shut 11 percent of electricity generators connected to the nation's main grid because of coal shortages, the Xinhua News Agency said this week.
Expanding ice cover in Bohai Bay in northern China, where Cnooc Ltd. drills for oil and natural gas, will have a "serious" impact on exploration and shipping, the government said yesterday. Cnooc's operation in the offshore fields is "not yet affected" by the sea ice, the company said in e-mailed comments today.
Ice cover in some parts of the Bohai Sea and Huanghai, also known as Yellow Sea, may extend as much as 90 nautical miles from the coast next week and the thickness of the ice may reach 40 centimeters (16 inches), the State Oceanic Administration said on its Web site. Bohai Sea is now in a state of emergency, the administration said, without elaborating. [14/01/10]
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
