Tue, Aug 09, 2022 page3

• Flights unaffected, but ships must avoid China drills

  • By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
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  China’s military exercises in the Yellow Sea and Bohai Bay would not disrupt flight services in the Taipei Flight Information Region, but container ships would have to bypass the areas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.

  China’s Lianyungang Maritime Safety Administration on Friday announced that it was banning the entry of ships into certain areas south of the Yellow Sea from Saturday last week to Monday next week due to live-fire drills by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

  China’s Dalian Maritime Affairs Bureau announced that entry to certain areas of Bohai Bay would be prohibited from yesterday to Sept. 8 due to military exercises.

  

  An arrivals board at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is pictured in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times

  China’s military exercises in Bohai Bay and areas south of the Yellow Sea would not disrupt international flight routes to and from Taiwan as they would not fall within the Taipei Flight Information Region, the ministry said.

  However, the Maritime and Port Bureau has warned Yang Ming Marine Transport, Evergreen Marine Corp and Wan Hai Lines to avoid sending their container ships through these areas for safety reasons, it said.

  The nation’s flight and shipping services have gradually resumed normal operations after all seven temporary danger zones China unilaterally declared last week expired yesterday.

  Six of the zones expired at 12pm on Sunday, while the last danger zone expired at 10am yesterday, the ministry said.

  The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and Maritime and Port Bureau would continue to guide aircraft and sea vessels to bypass the temporary danger zones to ensure their safety, the ministry said, adding that inbound, outbound and transit flights must avoid the seven temporary danger areas and operate on alternative routes.

  On Sunday, the nation had 138 outbound flights, 145 inbound flights and 147 transit flights, CAA data showed.

  From Thursday to Sunday, Taiwan had about 150 inbound flights and the same number of outbound flights daily, the ministry said, adding that China’s military drills did not lead to a drastic reduction in arriving or departing flights.

  Transit flights gradually resumed after six of the seven temporary danger zones expired, it said, adding that air traffic control offices across the nation would carefully monitor the situation to ensure flight safety.

  In terms of shipping services, China’s military drills mainly affected the vessels accessing the Port of Keelung, the Port of Taipei and the Port of Kaohsiung, the ministry said.

  Vessels entering and leaving these ports must avoid entering the temporary danger zones, it said.

  Maritime and Port Bureau data showed that seven international commercial ports around Taiwan on Sunday recorded 118 inbound and 120 outbound ships, which was not much different from the previous three days, the ministry said.
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