YICHANG - Fog that has lingered since Wednesday morning has disrupted shipping services in waters around the Three Gorges region in Central China's Hubei province, authorities said.

Around noon, 550 ships were still stopped around the Three Gorges region after fog limited visibility to less than 500 meters, halting water traffic since about 6 am, said Miao Changwen, spokesman and deputy chief of the Three Gorges Navigation Authority.

Miao said ship locks of the Gezhouba Dam, which sits on the lower reaches of the Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River, were being overhauled and also contributed to the shipping suspension.

Local maritime authorities have initiated an emergency response program, diverting 300 vehicles and 2,000 passengers from wharfs to other transportation lanes.