China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) upgraded its marine weather warning to a Yellow Fog Alert at 18:00 on 10 May after satellite imagery detected dense advection fog forming over the Bohai Strait, most of the Yellow Sea and the northern sector of the East China Sea. Visibility in affected shipping lanes is expected to drop below one kilometre from late evening on 10 May through midday 11 May. The alert compels ferry operators in Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang to prepare for schedule revisions, while port authorities at Qingdao, Yantai and Shanghai Waigaoqiao have instructed container vessels to reduce speed and stagger arrival slots. Ningbo Zhoushan Port—China’s busiest—has activated its level-II fog contingency plan, deploying additional pilot boats equipped with AIS transponders and thermal-imaging radars. For supply-chain managers, the disruption may ripple beyond coastal China. Automotive factories in Suzhou, reliant on just-in-time delivery of imported components via Ro-Ro vessels, have already been advised to adjust production shifts. Logistics providers estimate that each eight-hour closure of the Yangshan deep-water channel can delay up to US$180 million in export shipments. Air travel could also feel the impact. Fog landing minima at Shanghai Pudong and Hangzhou Xiaoshan airports require instrument-landing-system Category II procedures; past data show an average of 45 flight delays exceeding one hour during comparable weather events. Airlines are pre-emptively waiving rebooking fees for flights to and from these hubs on 11 May. Travellers transiting the region should monitor carrier notifications and allow extra connection time. The NMC advises motorists on coastal expressways to reduce speed and maintain safe following distances. The alert will be downgraded once visibility improves above one kilometre for three consecutive hours.
Source: China Weather Network
