If your China-origin freight has felt unpredictable at the moment, it is because China is currently tracking four active tropical systems simultaneously, an extraordinary clustering that’s compounding an already-strained network.
* Typhoon Narra (No. 19) – Stalled over the Gulf of Tonkin since August 21st, dumping torrential rain across Guangxi. 61,000 people affected, 54,000+ evacuated, rivers up nearly 10 metres. China’s activated a Level IV national emergency response. Hainan has suspended ferry services and Hong Kong is on typhoon-signal watch.
* Typhoon Saudel (No. 18) – The one to watch. Currently a super typhoon tracking toward Japan’s southern islands before an expected landfall on China’s southeastern coast around Friday, August 28th. Forecasters are eyeing the Zhejiang-Fujian corridor; the same stretch hammered by Typhoon Dolphin just three weeks ago.
* Typhoon Jianlawi/Gaenari (No. 20) – Intensifying alongside Narra and Saudel, adding to the rainfall burden across the south.
* Typhoon Atsani (No. 21) – The newest system, still out in the Pacific and being monitored, though not yet a direct threat to China’s coast.
China’s ports still haven’t recovered from Typhoon Dolphin’s closures earlier this month, global stranded container capacity has now pushed past 4.3 million TEU, exceeding COVID-era peaks. Shanghai had 139 vessels queued last week; Ningbo had 77. If Saudel makes landfall near Zhejiang-Fujian as forecast, we could see a fresh round of berth closures stacking on top of a backlog that hasn’t cleared.
What we’re telling our customers right now:
~ Build in buffer time! Don’t assume “business as usual” transit times for the next 2-3 weeks.
~ Confirm equipment availability at booking, not after – 20GP and 40HC remain tight categories.
~ Talk to us early if you have hard delivery deadlines, more lead time means more routing options.
~ Consider alternative gateways (Xiamen, Busan, Hong Kong) if your cargo has PoL flexibility.
We’re monitoring Saudel’s track closely and will keep our network updated as the picture develops.
Anyone else navigating bookings through this right now? Keen to hear how others are managing the risk.