Chrysanthemum Island

Island besieged by sea ice in northeast China Liaodong Bay

Large stretches of sea ice have sieged the 13.5-square kilometer-Juehua Island in Xingcheng County, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, officials from the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said on Monday.

The sea ice also has extended at least 74 nautical miles (130 km) from the shoreline into the Liaodong Bay.

About 3,000 residents living on the island have been stranded since authorities suspended the shipping services on Jan. 22.

The sea ice coverage exceeded 17,261 square kilometers, and the thickness of the biggest ice block was more than 35 centimeters.

Residents have stored sufficient supplies to spend the winter as local authorities had transported daily necessities to the island since last December before the shipping services suspended.

The condition this year was more serious than last year. The ice is expected to thaw at the mid-to-late March in 2018. The shipping transportation will probably resume after late March, said Zhang Guohui, official from the maritime affairs bureau of Huludao City.