Smog leaves tourists stranded on ship

People wear masks during a visit to Florentia Village in Wuqing district, Tianjin, on Dec 31. [Photo by Cui Chen/For China Daily]

More than 2,000 tourists had to stay on board a ship near Tianjin Port for two extra days due to heavy smog that shrouded the city and much of North China over the New Year's Day holiday.

The cruise ship, bound for Tianjin municipality, arrived off the coast on Dec 31 as scheduled, but told passengers that it had to wait until further notice from the port to dock due to poor visibility caused by smog, Beijing Evening News reported.

The ship waited for two days and eventually docked safely at Tianjin Port on Monday afternoon, the report said.

A passenger, surnamed Wang, who lives in Beijing, said she started the cruise tour on Dec 26 in Tianjin, with the ship visiting South Korea and Japan.

She was scheduled to arrive back in Beijing at 8 pm on Dec 31 so she could reunite with her family for the New Year festival, but she had to spend New Year's Eve on the ship, she said.

Wang said the cruise ship is equipped with entertainment facilities, such as a swimming pool and gym room, which helped passengers pass the time.

A staff member of a tourist agency on the ship told Beijing Evening News that the agency arranged parties and offered free food and drinks for passengers during the delay so they could enjoy the holiday.