Recent typhoon activity across eastern China has once again highlighted how quickly severe weather can affect international shipping.
Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan are two of the world’s most important container shipping hubs, handling enormous volumes of cargo moving between Asia and markets around the world. When severe weather forces terminals to close, the consequences can extend far beyond the few hours or days that operations are suspended.
Typhoon Saudel is the latest example. After earlier disruption caused by Typhoons Bavi and Dolphin, Saudel forced further operational suspensions at Shanghai and Ningbo in late August. Although both ports subsequently reopened, congestion and vessel delays have continued as carriers and terminals work through the resulting backlog.
The latest operational information shows that the effects are still being felt. Kuehne+Nagel reported average vessel waiting times of around 5.21 days at Shanghai and 3.45 days at Ningbo for the week covering 26 August to 1 September. Ningbo was also experiencing high yard occupancy of around 92–95%, while Shanghai continued to face vessel queues, high yard density and schedule adjustments.
This highlights an important point for businesses moving goods internationally:
The weather event may end before the disruption to your shipment does.
What Is Happening at Shanghai and Ningbo?
Typhoon Saudel made landfall in eastern China on 28 August after authorities had already introduced precautionary measures across affected areas.
Ningbo suspended port operations from 26 August, while Shanghai followed with operational suspensions from 27 August. Terminals, yards and associated transport operations were subsequently brought back online as the storm weakened.
However, reopening a port does not mean that shipping schedules immediately return to normal.
Vessels that were unable to berth during the closure have to be accommodated alongside vessels that were already scheduled to arrive. This creates a backlog, while carriers may also need to adjust rotations, omit port calls, roll containers onto later sailings or make other changes to recover their schedules.
As a result, a relatively short weather-related closure can create disruption that continues for days or even weeks afterwards.
The current situation is particularly important because Shanghai and Ningbo had already been dealing with the effects of earlier typhoons. The repeated disruption has made it more difficult for the network to fully recover before the next weather event arrives.
Why Is Weather Monitoring So Important?
For international freight, weather is not simply something that affects the vessel while it is at sea.
Severe weather can affect ports, terminals, road transport, rail networks, warehouses, container availability and vessel schedules at the same time.
Monitoring weather conditions therefore gives importers and exporters an opportunity to identify potential problems before they become shipment problems.
For example, if a typhoon is forecast to affect a major port, there may be an opportunity to:
- Bring forward a container collection
- Adjust a planned sailing
- Consider an alternative port
- Allow additional transit time
- Check whether a vessel is likely to be delayed
- Review delivery commitments with customers
- Build additional stock into the supply chain
- Consider alternative transport arrangements for particularly time-sensitive cargo
The earlier a potential disruption is identified, the more options a business usually has.
Once a port is closed and vessels are already queuing offshore, those options can become considerably more limited.
How Can a Typhoon Affect a Shipment?
The most obvious impact is a port closure, but this is only the beginning. Severe weather can create several different problems throughout the logistics chain.
What Does This Mean for UK-Based Importers?
For UK businesses importing goods from China and other parts of Asia, weather-related disruption can create problems well beyond the shipping department.
A delayed container can affect stock levels, production schedules, customer orders and delivery commitments.
For example, a retailer waiting for seasonal stock could find that goods arrive after they were needed. A manufacturer may face delays if components are stuck in transit. A construction company could find that materials do not arrive when a project requires them.
There can also be financial consequences.
Businesses may face additional storage, transport or handling costs depending on the circumstances of the shipment. Delays can also create pressure elsewhere in the supply chain if warehouse space, labour or onward transport has already been booked around the original arrival date.
This is why businesses should avoid looking only at the advertised sailing date.
The important question is not simply “When is my vessel scheduled to leave?” but “How resilient is that schedule if conditions change?”
What About UK Exporters?
The impact works in both directions. UK businesses exporting goods to China and other parts of Asia can also be affected when severe weather disrupts ports.
A delayed sailing can mean that goods miss their planned departure. Exporters may then have to wait for the next available sailing, potentially affecting delivery commitments and the customer’s own production or distribution plans. For businesses operating regular export schedules, repeated disruption can also make it harder to maintain consistent lead times.
This is particularly important for companies working with just-in-time inventory models, where there is little spare time built into the supply chain.
The Wider Impact of Repeated Typhoons
One of the biggest concerns at present is not necessarily one individual storm. It is the possibility of repeated weather disruption before the network has fully recovered from the previous event.
Shanghai and Ningbo experienced disruption from Typhoon Bavi in July, followed by Typhoon Dolphin in August and then Saudel at the end of August.
Each event can leave behind vessel backlogs, delayed containers and schedule disruption. If another storm arrives while those delays are still being cleared, the effects can compound. Industry reporting has already highlighted the scale of the wider congestion problem. At the end of August, more than 4 million TEU of container capacity was reported to be waiting to berth globally, with North Asia accounting for a substantial proportion of the congestion.
That means businesses should not necessarily assume that a port returning to operation means their particular shipment will immediately return to its original schedule.
What Could Happen During September?
There is reason to remain cautious.
China’s latest national disaster-risk assessment for September expects 2–3 typhoons to make landfall or significantly affect China, with the main areas of concern including the eastern and southern coastal regions.
The China National Climate Centre has also identified the period from early to mid-September as a relatively active period for typhoon activity affecting China’s southeast coast.
This does not mean that Shanghai, Ningbo or any particular port will definitely close again.
However, it does mean that businesses moving cargo through affected regions should continue to monitor conditions rather than assuming that the disruption is over.
September is also an important period for businesses preparing for the final quarter of the year.
With the National Day Golden Week holiday approaching in October, importers and exporters should consider the combined effect of weather disruption, port congestion, vessel availability and holiday-related changes when planning upcoming shipments.
What Can Businesses Do to Reduce the Risk?
Businesses cannot control the weather, but they can control how they respond to it. A few practical steps can make a significant difference.
How Hawley Logistics Can Help
At Hawley Logistics, we understand that international shipping is about more than simply moving a container from one port to another. Weather, congestion, carrier schedules and global events can all affect the journey, which is why keeping a close eye on developing situations is an important part of effective freight management.
Our team can help customers understand how current conditions may affect their shipments and work with them to identify practical options where disruption occurs. This can include reviewing available sailing options, considering alternative routes or services where appropriate, helping customers understand potential delays and keeping them informed as circumstances change. For businesses importing from or exporting to China, this proactive approach can be particularly valuable during periods of severe weather and increased port congestion.
You don’t have to wait for a shipment to be delayed before you start looking at your options.
By monitoring conditions and planning ahead, businesses can give themselves the best possible chance of keeping goods moving and minimising the wider impact of disruption.
Looking Ahead
The recent disruption at Shanghai and Ningbo is a useful reminder that international supply chains remain vulnerable to events outside a business’s control. Typhoons are a normal part of the weather cycle in the region, but their impact on global shipping can be significant when major ports are affected repeatedly.
With further typhoon activity possible during September, businesses moving cargo through East Asia should continue to monitor conditions and allow flexibility into upcoming shipping plans.
The key lesson is simple: A port reopening does not necessarily mean the supply chain has recovered.
For UK importers and exporters, staying informed and working with an experienced logistics partner can make it easier to identify potential problems early and respond before they become more costly.
If you have cargo moving between the UK and China and would like to discuss your upcoming shipments, routes or potential disruption, contact the Hawley Logistics team to discuss how we can help.
