China has issued a red warning due to Typhoon Saudel. Container terminals in Ningbo-Zhoushan have been halted, and container reception and issuance at Shanghai's Yangshan port are restricted. Before making landfall, ships were waiting to enter Shanghai for up to 11 days and Ningbo for up to 6 days. The information in the material is current as of 6:00 PM on August 27 Beijing time.
Red warning: landfall expected on August 28
The National Meteorological Center of China raised the warning level to red at 6:00 PM on August 27. An hour earlier, the typhoon's center was located 320 km east of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province. The wind speed at the center reached 45 m/s, and the pressure was 950 hPa.
According to China's NMC forecast, Saudel will make landfall in the morning or afternoon of August 28 between Wenling in Zhejiang and Xiapu in Fujian. The wind speed at that time will be 35–45 m/s. In Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian, precipitation of up to 250–300 mm is expected in some places.
A day earlier, 24KZ citing Xinhua reported an orange warning and two approaching typhoons — Narre and Saudel. Within a day, Saudel intensified. Ports in Zhejiang and northern Fujian, Ningbo-Zhoushan, and sea approaches to Shanghai were affected.
Ningbo stopped, container reception limited at Yangshan
All container terminals in Ningbo-Zhoushan ceased operations by the evening of August 26. Fifty-five large container ships were taken to safe areas. The Ningbo Maritime Administration introduced the highest — first — level of response, according to China Transport News.
At Yangshan port, restrictions affected the Shengdong, Guandong, and Shandong terminals. The reception and issuance of empty containers were planned to be stopped from 4:00 AM on August 27, and loaded containers from 6:00 AM, reported AMZ123 citing the SIPG Production Department. The notification did not specify when operations would resume. This is a restriction of container operations at three terminals, not confirmation of the complete shutdown of Shanghai port.
South of Ningbo, individual terminals stopped. According to Kuehne+Nagel's report for the morning of August 26, the Taizhou barge terminal and the Zhuangyuan-ao terminal in Wenzhou were not operating. In Fujian, 57 passenger ferry lines north of Quanzhou were closed, and work was suspended at 118 water facilities, according to the provincial government's message.
Terminal opening does not immediately return the ship to schedule.
The roadstead, approach channel, container area, and roads to the port do not resume operations simultaneously. Therefore, the status of a specific terminal and ship call will have to be checked separately.
Queue at Shanghai reaches 11 days
Hapag-Lloyd expects Shanghai and Ningbo ports to close from August 26 to 29. At Yangshan, ships of different services are waiting for 5 to 11 days. In Ningbo, the waiting time is 4–5 days for Gemini ships and 3–6 days for other services. The carrier is already changing rotations and skipping certain ports.
The new closure added to the August congestion. OOCL Logistics previously estimated the queue in Shanghai at 12 days, in Ningbo at 3–5 days, and the normalization period for schedules at three to four weeks. After the ports reopen, ships from safe anchorages need to be returned first, and the accumulated flow needs to be processed. Therefore, the date of opening and the date of actual cargo shipment will not coincide.
Taiwan prepares ports, Japan cancels flights
Taiwan's weather service issued a marine warning on August 27 at 8:30 AM. It applies to the waters north of the island, especially in the Matsu area. The ports of Jilong, Taipei, and Suao have begun storm preparation, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Transport. There is no mention of complete port closure in the message.
In Japan, major disruptions occurred in Okinawa and the Amami Islands. On August 26, 301 flights were canceled. Another 27 ferry routes were suspended by 25 operators, mainly related to Kyushu and Okinawa. These data are provided by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
In the Philippines, the typhoon was called Obet. It briefly entered PAGASA's area of responsibility and left it on the evening of August 24 without approaching land. In PAGASA's report for August 25, Saudel was already outside this zone. There was no direct impact on the country's ports; changes in schedules in Northeast Asia will be more noticeable for shipments from the Philippines.
TransGID assessment: main risk — sea transportation
Shipments through Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou, and northern Fujian are most vulnerable. After operations resume, the queue will remain: ports will first accept ships taken out before the storm and reassemble the windows of calls. For containers, this means cut-off and ETD shifts, port skips, and rollovers.
In road transportation, delays will concentrate in Zhejiang and Fujian: wind and rain complicate bridge travel, container delivery, and warehouse operations. The main China-Russia railway runs away from the coast, so the main risk here is the first mile from Shanghai, Ningbo, and coastal cities.
For aviation, flights through Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Fuzhou are at risk. Cathay Pacific has already allowed ticket reissuance for Ningbo and Wenzhou for August 27–28. The southern ports of Yantian and Shekou lie outside Saudel's main trajectory, but transferring cargo there will require new booking and additional road legs.
What to check for upcoming shipments
For each shipment through Shanghai and Ningbo, a fresh status of the vessel and terminal is needed: ETB and ETD, cut-off, vehicle admission, confirmed space, rollover, and port of call change. For containers in the port or warehouse, it is worth separately clarifying storage, demurrage, and detention. Weather concessions from carriers do not apply automatically.
Transferring cargo between Shanghai and Ningbo does not provide a reliable bypass: both ports are in the typhoon zone. Qingdao, Yantian, Shekou, the railway, or aviation should be compared based on available capacity, ground leg, and time to the recipient. Working reserve for the nearest sea shipment through Shanghai or Ningbo is still 7–10 days. If the container has already been transferred to another ship, more time will be needed.