Fog stalls sea traffic as skies turn dirty

By Lu Feiran and Dong Zhen  |   2008-11-7  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A SECOND day of fog disrupted sea traffic, while the city's air quality deteriorated to the "slightly polluted" level due to the lack of air movement.

The Shanghai Meteorological Bureau issued a "yellow" fog alert at 4pm, the lowest on a three-color scale.

Visibility fell to around 500 meters, and the fog was expected to linger at least until this morning. The mist should dissipate in the afternoon when winds are forecast to pick up.

Yesterday's stagnant air caused the inhalable particle index to reach 147, breaching the pollution threshold, according to the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center.

Forecasters explained that the wind was not strong enough to scatter the small airborne particles.

On the transport front, Wusong Port maritime safety officials said ferry services to three nearby islands were stopped at 6am yesterday as visibility dropped below 1,000 meters at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Hundreds of cargo vessels were also required to remain at anchor.

Though there was trouble at sea, the fog did not affect highway travel, and flights continued to operate.