Typhoon Champi Weakens, but China Port Delays Threaten Shipping Schedules and Freight Costs

Logisticswall | 25 October 2026

Typhoon Champi has weakened after passing east of Taiwan and is moving towards Japan. However, shipping disruptions across East China remain a concern as ports work to resume operations and clear vessel backlogs. Shanghai and Ningbo were already experiencing approximately four days of congestion-related delays before the storm, while shipping industry reports warned that disruption could extend into the coming weeks.

Port Status: Reopening Expected, Recovery Still Uncertain

According to operational advisories published on 23 October, Ningbo was expected to suspend operations from the evening of 23 October until around midday on 25 October, while Shanghai's planned suspension ran from the evening of 24 October until midday on 25 October. The Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary also faced restrictions on pilotage and vessel movements, with resumption expected on 26 October, subject to conditions.

Other affected areas included Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Quanzhou and several northern Chinese ports affected by strong winds. As of 25 October, the available reports do not establish that all these ports remain closed. Actual reopening times and terminal operations must be confirmed through local port authorities and carrier advisories.

Export Delays and Freight Pressure

The immediate impact falls on exporters shipping from Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan and other affected coastal gateways. Containers may miss vessel cut-offs, while ships arriving outside their allocated berthing windows can face further waiting. Carriers may also omit port calls or revise sailing rotations to recover their schedules, reducing available capacity on some routes.

S&P Global reported that market participants expected congestion-related disruption to persist for one to two weeks. This is a market expectation, not a confirmed closure period. Freight pressure could increase if delayed cargo competes for fewer available sailings, although a storm-related price increase has not yet been established across all China export routes.

The Bullwhip Effect: Delays Could Reach Singapore

The greatest concern now is the bullwhip effect, in which a disruption at one point in the supply chain creates wider scheduling and capacity problems downstream.

A vessel delayed at Shanghai or Ningbo may miss its planned arrival window at Singapore. That can cause missed transshipment connections, delay onward cargo and disrupt the ship's subsequent port rotation. Other vessels arriving out of sequence may then add pressure to berth planning at connecting ports.

There is no verified, comprehensive list of vessels currently held by Champi or confirmed vessel-specific delays to Singapore in the available reports. The actual impact will depend on when each vessel departs, whether it skips a port call and the availability of connecting services.

Outlook

Although Champi is weakening, the recovery of China's shipping network may take longer than the weather disruption itself. Exporters should confirm revised vessel ETAs, booking status, container cut-off times and transshipment connections with their forwarders.

For importers, the key risk is not simply a closed port but cargo arriving later than planned, potentially affecting production schedules, inventory availability and delivery commitments. The coming days will reveal whether port operations return to normal quickly or whether accumulated delays continue to affect Asia-Pacific shipping schedules.