BEIJING - More than 37 percent of Liaodong Bay in Northeast China's Bohai Sea has been covered in floating ice following a cold snap, the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said Monday.

According to an ice alert issued by the center, ice with an average thickness of 5 to 15 cm has blanketed 11,409 square kilometers in the bay, with the thickest section reaching 30 cm.

Meanwhile, the adjacent Huanghai Sea saw 2,004 square kilometers of its northern areas covered by ice, with an average thickness of 5 to 10 cm.

Ice coverage in the two seas will remain and might expand slightly in the next three days, the center said.

The center urged related departments to enhance monitoring and take precautions against possible damage to ships and facilities by the ice.