Super Typhoon “Bavi” made landfall over the weekend! East China’s ports are on the brink of shutdown, further exacerbating congestion during the peak season.

The 2026 peak season for maritime shipping is hit hard again. This year's No. 9 super typhoon "Bavi" is rapidly approaching the southeast coast of China. At 6 a.m. on July 10, the Central Meteorological Observatory continued to issue an orange typhoon warning: "Bavi" weakened to a strong typhoon level on the morning of the 10th, with its center located about 830 kilometers southeast of Keelung City, Taiwan Province, over the ocean. The maximum wind force near the center is level 14 (45 meters/second), with a radius of 450 to 500 kilometers for the level 7 wind circle. The typhoon is expected to move northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour and make landfall along the coast between Fuqing, Fujian and Wenling, Zhejiang on the evening of the 11th (strong typhoon or typhoon level, 13 to 15 levels).

         What is even more concerning is that the major domestic core ports have long been operating in an overloaded state during the peak season. The combination of the typhoon and port congestion has made large-scale schedule delays and container pick-up and return congestion inevitable.

The super typhoon "Bavi" is approaching step by step, and the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian face a direct impact.
         Since its formation on July 2, typhoon "Bavi" has rapidly intensified, strengthening to a super typhoon on July 4 and maintaining super typhoon status for more than 80 hours. Meteorological satellite cloud images show a clear and round eye of "Bavi," with cloud systems exceeding 1300 kilometers in diameter, large in size and wide in coverage. According to the latest forecast from the Central Meteorological Observatory, the typhoon will make landfall or pass near the northern coast of Taiwan Island during the day on the 11th, and make landfall along the coast between Fuqing, Fujian and Wenling, Zhejiang on the evening of the 11th. After landfall, it will continue to move northwest, gradually weakening in intensity. Meteorological experts point out that after landfall, "Bavi" may continue to move northward, with its impact possibly expanding further to East China, Central China, and even North China. Due to its influence, from July 10 to 12, strong wind and rain weather will occur in northern and central Fujian, the coastal areas of Zhejiang, and nearby sea areas. Winds will gradually strengthen in the Bashi Channel, Taiwan Strait, most of the East China Sea, and near the Diaoyu Islands, with wind forces reaching levels 12 to 14 and gusts of 15 to 16 near the typhoon center passing over the sea. Coastal ports in Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and other places will directly face strong wind and rain impacts.

Port congestion is already severe, and the typhoon shutdown makes it worse.
         More troublesome than the typhoon is that the country's core ports have long been operating in an overloaded state. This year's maritime peak season started early, with a surge in shipments, saturation of yard capacity at major terminals, and tight berths. According to Seaexplorer monitoring data as of July 8:

Shanghai Port: The average waiting time for vessels over a 7-day cycle is 2.57 days, with the YGS12 terminal area experiencing an average waiting time as high as 6 days due to the concentration of mainline vessels arriving.

Ningbo Port: The average waiting time for vessels across the port is about 1.51 days, with the MSICT terminal yard density continuously increasing and waiting times extended to about 2 days.

Yantian Port: Due to quay crane upgrades and renovations, the average waiting time for vessels is about 1.5 days.

         Meanwhile, the coastal area of Ningbo has entered a level III typhoon emergency response since 9 a.m. on July 8. Three of the 25 passenger routes have been suspended, and all 46 marine-related projects have been halted. Since July 10, major terminals in Shanghai and Ningbo have fully carried out empty container windproof bundling and reinforcement operations. During reinforcement, empty containers in the yard are uniformly locked, and container pick-up and return services cannot be processed. Taicang Terminal has been clearing the port and suspending all vessel loading and unloading since 6 p.m. on July 9; Nantong and Changshu have been clearing the port simultaneously since 12 p.m. on July 9.

         It will still take time for ports to resume operations after the typhoon passes. It is recommended that companies with shipping plans make schedule adjustments in advance, reasonably arrange container pick-up and return and loading rhythms, to minimize the impact caused by the typhoon and port congestion.