Air and sea traffic disrupted as 120 km winds batter Netherlands

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Spring storms battered the Netherlands with gusts of up to 120 kilometers an hour on Tuesday, causing Amsterdam's Schiphol airport to cancel flights and the closure of two container terminals at the port of Rotterdam. Gale force winds sweeping in from the North Sea disrupted land and marine traffic throughout the low-lying country, as the Dutch meteorological office issued a code red warning for the country's northern and coastal provinces. A spokesman for Schiphol airport, Europe's fourth largest, said 80, primarily European, flights had been canceled because wind had reduced runway capacity, and that delays would mount as flight volumes rose later in the day. At Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, two container terminals were closed, with ships forced to line up out at sea. A spokesman said this was a routine precaution when winds rise above gale force seven. Bulk liquid terminals continued to operate. Near the port of Vlissingen, authorities were preparing to refloat a 300 meter container ship that ran aground in the small hours near the port of Vlissingen on the Belgian border. The crew was in no danger, the water management agency said, according to NOS public radio. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Catherine Evans)