(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 10 GEN - Shipping in the Bulgarian section
of the Danube has been prohibited, after ice floes covered more
than 80 per cent of the river's surface close to the city of
Rousse. The order entered into force on Tuesday. All ships
passing through the Bulgarian section must dock at the nearest
port, because floating ice poses a hazard of shipping. Hungarian
river supervision authorities have also banned shipping on the
Danube on the Hungarian stretch of the river. At the Bulgarian
town of Silistra, the ice cover of the Danube was more than 70
per cent, while at Vidin, it was more than 80, The Sofia Globe
said. More than 20 vessels, mostly Ukrainian, Bulgarian and
Romanian, are stuck in the area.
The Danube is one of Europe's main river arteries. It has frozen
over 28 times in the past 117 years, Bulgarian National Radio
said. For the coming days of January, the forecast is that ice
cover will expand and the shipping ban is likely to be extended.
(ANSA).
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