Thousand Ships Stuck in East China Sea Ice
Unusually thick sea ice on Laizhou Bay in east China's Shandong Province strands coastal ships. Zheng Dong, chief meteorologist at the Yantai Marine Environment Monitoring Center under the State Oceanic Administration informs that the ice this year is the worst the area has experienced in three years, and the expanding ice field has expanded to 291 square km and is expected to grow, according to Xinhua. Local aquafarmers are concerned that the ice is thicker than in years past, which may lead to heavy losses, as the they are unable to penetrate the ice to provide adequate ventilation for sea cucumbers and other aquatic organisms. Coastal police warn that the ice may cause damage to vessels passing through deeper sea areas near the Bohai and Yellow seas.
CP Ships to Double Frequency
CP Ships Limited today announced that one year after launching fortnightly service between Asia and Australia, it plans to double the frequency to weekly through a vessel sharing agreement with Yantai Marine (SYMS). "The agreement with Yantai Marine enables us to build on the success of our first Asia-Australia service efficiently, without adding additional tonnage of our own," commented Juan Manuel Gonzalez, Executive Vice President. Start-up of the joint service is expected in early August with CP Ships and Yantai Marine each contributing two 1700 teu ships. The port rotation will be Chiwan, Hong Kong, Ningbo, Shanghai, Sydney, Brisbane with connections to CP Ships networks in Asia. At 11 days, the transit time between Shanghai and Sydney will be one of the fastest available.
