by Lloyd's List

19 September 2024 (Lloyd's List) - CHINESE eastern ports led by Shanghai and Ningbo are bracing for a second storm strike this week, which could lead to further vessel delays.

China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued a yellow typhoon warning for tropical storm Prasan, which is set to make landfall along the coast from Zhejiang’s Xiangshan to Shanghai’s Pudong area on September 19.

Terminals at the port of Shanghai, including the deepwater Yangshan complex, which handles mainly long-haul services, have announced a suspension of empty container pick-ups and deliveries from 1900 hrs local time on September 19 to 0800 hrs on September 20.

Neighbouring Ningbo also issued similar notices, halting empty container operations starting three hours earlier than Shanghai. Recovery time will be notified later.

Both ports were already hit earlier this week by Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm to strike the region since 1949.

Linerlytica said in a report this week that the delays from Typhoon Bebinca on September 16 are already expected to severely impact the world's largest container port.

“Ships that have moved away from the port in anticipation of the typhoon will be returning in the coming days that will result in severe vessel bunching, with delays expected to stretch to over a week.

“The delays will also affect downstream ports and cause serious schedule disruptions over the coming week.”

This latest suspension triggered by Parsan, although not as severe as Bebinca, will not help alleviate the situation

Summer and autumn are the traditional typhoon seasons in the western Pacific, often disrupting port operations and shipping activities in the region.

On September 6, several ports, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong, along China’s southern coast also halted operations or restricted services in anticipation of Typhoon Yagi’s landfall.