Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Ferry services across Taiwan will be subject to changes or canceled for three days from Friday to Sunday as Typhoon Haikui approaches, the Maritime and Port Bureau said Friday.
All ferry services between Fugang in Taitung County and Green Island have been canceled from 2:30 p.m. Friday until Sunday, the bureau’s East Maritime Affairs Center said, citing the information received from boat operators.
Meanwhile, Long Hung Shipping Co. has canceled its services between Taitung County and Orchid Island and between Houbihu in Pingtung and Orchid Island from 2:45 to Sunday.
According to the number of booked tickets calculated by boat operators, over 1,000 people were scheduled to head to the two outlying islands on Friday.
Consequently, boat operators have begun carrying people back to Taiwan from Green Island and Orchid Island and sending supplies to the two islands, according to the bureau.
Meanwhile, operators providing ferry services between Donggang in Pingtung County and Xiaoliuqiu Island said they will partly work on Saturday and be halted from Sunday to Monday before they decide whether it is proper to resume business on Tuesday.
This would be the second time the local operators have had to cancel ferry services within a week. Ferry services between the two places were disrupted from Wednesday to Friday due to Typhoon Saola.
Some art and cultural events in northern and northeastern Taiwan were also impacted by Haikui.
Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area in Yilan County, for example, will extend its closure with the date for reopening pending further assessment. The recreation area was closed from Monday to Friday due to Typhoon Saola.
Besides, many activities at the secondary pavilions of the 2023 Hakka Expo in Taoyuan will be suspended, including a market at the International Indigenous Cultural and Creative Industrial Park on Saturday and Sunday as the canopy frame was destroyed by the strong winds.
The market has stopped running businesses since Aug. 30 because of Typhoon Saola, according to the event’s website.
In addition, the Hsinchu City International Kite Festival, which was scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday, has been postponed for one week and will take place on Sept. 9-10, according to the event’s Facebook page.
? Please visit the Central Weather Bureau’s website for the latest information; Directorate-General of Personnel Administration website for announcements of school and office closures across Taiwan.
