Passenger service on the sea was suspended on Thursday in the coastal areas of east China's Shandong Province as a cold wave is forecast to bring strong winds to the area on Friday.

A safety warning has been issued and port enterprises have been ordered to make preparations for the strong winds of up to 90 km per hour on Thursday night, the Yantai Maritime Bureau said.

All passenger transport service on the sea between Yantai, and Dalian, a coastal city of northeastern Liaoning Province, was suspended at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Strong gales of up to 90 km per hour will blow in the Bohai Sea and the northern and central areas of the Yellow Sea on Friday with waves of up to four to five meters high in certain coastal areas, the Shandong Meteorological Station warned Thursday afternoon.

Vessels sailing in the affected seawaters were asked to return to harbor or find shelter and port facilities were ordered to be reinforced with cables or iron chains, the Weihai Maritime Bureau said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2009)