Icy conditions trouble Tianjin port
Severe cold weather in northeastern China is causing problems for the Port of Tianjin, the closest seaport to the capital Beijing.
The port is China's third-largest by tonnage, and is a fast-growing container gateway in the country's Bohai Bay region. According to an Associated Press report, ice-breaking ships were being deployed to clear a channel to allow cargo ships to call at the port.
The report said the region is facing its coldest and snowiest spell in more than three decades, with 40 people needing to be saved from ships trapped by ice over the weekend. China's Ministry of Transport said local maritime authorities needed to 'intensify monitoring on icing conditions and improve contingency measures to cope with possible emergencies,' according to a report Saturday from the state-owned Xinhua news agency.