Saudel strengthened again over the South China Sea and made landfall for the third time on the morning of September 3—this time in Fujian Province. By evening, the cyclone had weakened into a tropical depression, and China's National Meteorological Centre ceased its tracking number. Shanghai and Ningbo are operational, but the vessel queue persists. Data in this report is current as of September 3, 18:00 Beijing time.
Saudel made landfall twice on August 28
China's National Meteorological Centre raised the alert level to red at 18:00 on August 27. An hour earlier, the typhoon's center was located 320 km east of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. Wind speeds near the center reached 45 m/s, with a pressure of 950 hPa. These figures were reported by the China Meteorological Administration.
The NMC forecast proved accurate. Saudel made landfall around 08:05 on August 28 in the Kanmen area of Yuhuan City. Wind speeds near the center were 35 m/s, with a pressure of 975 hPa. Around 09:10, the typhoon made a second landfall in the Longwan District of Wenzhou City with winds of 33 m/s and a pressure of 978 hPa.
Following its second landfall, Saudel moved westward and weakened rapidly. By August 29, meteorologists had classified it as a tropical depression. From August 28 to 29, torrential rains hit certain areas of Zhejiang and Fujian, with peak rainfall in Wenzhou reaching 204.3 mm.
The timing and intensity of both landfalls were confirmed by the Zhejiang Provincial Government. Central pressure figures were reported by regional news outlet Zhejiang Online, with precipitation data from CCTV.
Ningbo and Shanghai have resumed operations
All container terminals at Ningbo-Zhoushan ceased operations by the evening of August 26. Fifty-five large container vessels were evacuated to safe waters. The Ningbo Maritime Safety Administration initiated its highest Level I emergency response, reports China Transport News.
At the Port of Yangshan, restrictions affected the Shengdong, Guandong, and Shangdong terminals. The gating-in and release of empty containers were scheduled to halt at 04:00 on August 27, and laden containers at 06:00, according to AMZ123 citing SIPG's operations department. This was a restriction on container operations across three terminals, rather than a confirmed full shutdown of the Port of Shanghai.
Major terminals resumed operations on August 28. Waigaoqiao reopened at 12:00, Yangshan at 14:00, and Ningbo container terminals at 15:00. Container yards in Shanghai and Ningbo returned to work at noon, and Ningbo warehouses at 08:00.
According to the Toll Global Forwarding advisory as of September 1, the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo are operational, with no substantial new operational disruptions recorded. Residual delays remain possible while carriers and terminals clear the backlog.
South of Ningbo, individual terminals halted work. According to the Kuehne+Nagel update on the morning of August 26, the Taizhou barge terminal and the Zhuangyuan'ao terminal in Wenzhou were closed. In Fujian, 57 passenger ferry routes north of Quanzhou were suspended and 118 offshore construction projects were halted, according to a provincial government statement.
According to the updated Kuehne+Nagel report, Taicang resumed operations at 12:00 on August 28. Taizhou, Zhuangyuan'ao in Wenzhou, and the Zhapu and Dushan terminals in Jiaxing remained closed at the time of the update.
A terminal reopening does not automatically bring a vessel back on schedule.
The anchorage, approach channel, container yard, and port access roads do not resume operations simultaneously. Therefore, the status of a specific terminal and vessel call must be verified individually.
In Shanghai, vessels wait an average of 5.21 days
According to carrier data for the period from August 26 to September 1, the seven-day average vessel waiting time stands at 5.21 days in Shanghai and 3.45 days in Ningbo. In Ningbo, container yards are at 92–95% capacity, and reefer plugs are 94% occupied. In Shanghai, vessel queues, high yard density, and the risk of rollovers persist.
Recent figures are detailed in the Kuehne+Nagel operational update. This reflects the seven-day average waiting time for mainline container vessels, not the delay for an individual container.
The new shutdown compounded the existing August congestion. In an update dated September 1, OOCL Logistics reported maximum waiting times of up to 12 days at Yangshan terminal, 7–8 days at Waigaoqiao, and 3–5 days in Ningbo. According to the company's industry sources, schedule recovery could take three to four weeks. Consequently, port-wide average queue times and the wait for a specific vessel may differ significantly.
Taiwan prepared ports, Japan canceled flights
Taiwan's meteorological bureau issued a sea warning on August 27 at 08:30. It applied to waters north of the island, particularly around Matsu. The ports of Keelung, Taipei, and Su'ao initiated storm preparedness measures, reports the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan. No total port closures were reported.
In Japan, the primary disruptions hit Okinawa and the Amami Islands. On August 26, 301 flights were canceled. An additional 25 operators suspended 27 ferry routes, mostly connecting Kyushu and Okinawa. These figures were released by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
In the Philippines, the typhoon was named Obet. It entered the PAGASA Area of Responsibility at 13:20 on August 24 and exited at 21:30 that same day, remaining offshore. Entry and exit times were reported by the Provincial Government of Pangasinan and the Municipality of Agdangan citing PAGASA. There was no direct impact on the country's ports; for cargo from the Philippines, schedule adjustments across Northeast Asia will be more noticeable.
Saudel weakened after third landfall
On September 1, Saudel's remnant circulation re-intensified over the South China Sea into a tropical storm. The cyclone retained its name and tracking number, reports CGTN. It then tracked toward the Taiwan Strait and the Fujian coast.
Around 06:30 on September 3, Saudel made its third landfall in Gulei, Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province. Wind speeds near the center reached 23 m/s with a pressure of 985 hPa, according to Quanzhou authorities citing local weather services and CCTV. By afternoon, the cyclone had downgraded to a tropical depression, and at 17:00, China's National Meteorological Centre ceased numbering it.
From 20:00 on September 3 to 20:00 on September 4, heavy rainfall is expected in Fujian, northern and eastern Guangdong, and southern Jiangxi and Hunan. Eastern Fujian is forecast to see isolated rainfall of 250–280 mm. Winds of Force 6–7 with gusts up to Force 8–9 are expected across the Taiwan Strait and off the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The NMC attributes these conditions to Saudel's remnant vortex combined with Typhoon Krovanh.
By 07:00 in Fujian, over 83,000 residents had been evacuated, eight major road sections closed, and 657 transit routes suspended. In several districts of Zhangzhou, business operations, classes, and commercial trade were temporarily halted. Figures were published by the National Meteorological Centre of China and the Xinhua News Agency.
TransGID assessment: primary risk is sea freight
As of September 3, the primary weather risk has shifted to Fujian and eastern Guangdong. For shipments moving through Shanghai and Ningbo, the main challenge remains the accumulated backlog. For containers, this translates to postponed cut-off times and ETDs, port omissions, and rollovers.
In road transport, delays will center on Fujian: heavy downpours have already forced highway closures and route suspensions. The main China–Russia rail corridor runs well inland, so the main rail risk remains confined to first-mile drayage from coastal hubs.
For air shipments via Fuzhou and Xiamen, specific flight statuses must be monitored: heavy downpours may cause delays or cancellations. As of 10:00 on September 3, 24 passenger ferry routes and 65 ferries were idle in Fujian, and 37 marine construction projects were halted. Four passenger routes across the Taiwan Strait were completely suspended, according to the Securities Times citing CCTV.
What to check for upcoming shipments
For every shipment moving through Shanghai and Ningbo, confirm the latest vessel and terminal status: ETB and ETD, cut-off times, truck gate access, confirmed allocation, rollovers, and changes of port of call. For containers at the port or warehouse, verify storage, demurrage, and detention rules separately. Carrier weather concessions do not apply automatically.
For cargo routed via Fujian, check the individual status of the port, feeder service, warehouse, and trucking dispatch. Road and ferry line restrictions may persist after the winds subside.
Diverting cargo between Shanghai and Ningbo does not provide a reliable workaround: both ports are working through heavy backlogs. Comparing Qingdao, Yantian, Shekou, rail, or air freight should be based on available capacity, inland legs, and transit time to the consignee. There is no universal buffer in days across all shipments: the reported 5.21 and 3.45 days represent the average vessel queue, not the delay for an individual container. If a container is rolled to another vessel, verify the new departure date against the booking.