New efforts needed to prevent sea-ice accidents

China's Ministry of Transport (MOT) has called for efforts to reduce accidents caused by sea ice following recent frequent cold waves to ensure safe and smooth navigation on the sea and operation at ports.

The icing situation in the Bohai Sea and northern regions of the Huanghai Sea, resulting from frequent cold snaps since December, has become more severe compared with previous years, threatening the security of passing ships, said Li Shenglin, minister with MOT, on Saturday.

In the waters near Liaodong Bay and Laizhou Bay, floating ice was reported in an area of 220 to 250 sq km, with ice thickness measuring more than 50 cm, posing a threat to ship navigation, anchoring and operations at ports, Li said.