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A northern China port that is one of the world's largest is facing its worst ice conditions in 30 years, and icebreaking ships were working to keep shipping channels open.
Sea ice appeared last week along the coastline of the Bohai Sea and northern Yellow Sea as cold fronts pushed the temperature down to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Some ships were having trouble reaching Tianjin, Beijing de facto port and the third largest in the country.
Footage showed ships on the Bohai Gulf working to keep shipping lanes open.
About 40 people had already been saved from ships in danger from the ice, Xinhua said.
The region has been hit by its worst winter weather in decades over the past week, including Beijing's coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951.
Temperatures over the next week in Beijing are forecast to remain below freezing.
The sea ice along the coast of the Bohai Gulf was the most serious in 30 years. China's transport minister, Li Shenglin, urged authorities to work to prevent accident.
In 2008, the Tianjin port was among the top 15 in the world in container handling. The port 60 miles southeast of Beijing has a sprawling export zone designed to spur the region's growth.
The past week of bitter cold already has hit China's power companies, with officials ordering rotating shutdowns of hundreds of factories in central provinces to ensure sufficient power to heat homes.
Cargonews Asia
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