Heavy fog has delayed or canceled more than 700 ships since it shrouded the mouth of the Yangtze River in Shanghai on Monday, port authorities said.

The misty weather has reduced average visibility to less than 1,000 meters since midday Monday. In some areas, visibility is below 100 meters, according to Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

More than 700 incoming and outgoing vessels were canceled or postponed due to the fog. Among them, 66 vessels were for international shipping, most of which were fog-bound at Waigaoqiao and Yangshan ports, Shanghai's leading ocean shipping ports.

Shanghai, the largest city in east China, sees more than 2,000 incoming and outgoing ships every day.

As of 10:00 PM, the fog has also stopped the ferry services between Shanghai city and Chongming islands as well as services across the Huangpu River, a tributary of Yangtze. More than 60 ferries were canceled, stranding about 6,000 travelers.

The shipping services have not resumed as of 10 PM as the fog was expected persist later Monday night, according to the administration.

(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2009)