Shipping service halted in S China strait as Mujigae nears

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-11 02:56

HAIKOU: Shipping services across south China's Qiongzhou strait were suspended Thursday afternoon for the safety of passengers as tropical storm Mujigae neared.

Mujigae, the 13th tropical storm this year, was expected to land in the coastal regions along Wenchang or Qionghai, cities in the east of the island, from Thursday evening to midday Friday, said the Hainan Meteorological Bureau.

A total of 26,136 fishing boats had returned to harbors in Hainan and Fujian Provinces.

The storm was about 300 km east of Wenchang City at 3 pm, with a wind speed of 20 meters per second at its eye. It was estimated to be moving westward with a speed of 25 km per hour, said the meteorological center.

The provincial authorities have launched the third level emergency response plan to cope with the storm. Farmers will rush in the harvest of ripe crops. Monitoring of reservoirs will be strengthened, said Chen Cheng, deputy governor of Hainan.