Typhoon Saudel Makes Landfall in China on 28 August: Shanghai and Ningbo Ports Hit Again

Another typhoon has disrupted East China’s container gateways, adding fresh pressure to a shipping network already struggling with congestion.

China’s eastern coast has taken another hit from severe weather, but for the shipping industry the concern is not only the storm itself. Typhoon Saudel made landfall in southern Zhejiang on 28 August 2026, after approaching the coast through the East China Sea. Reuters reported that Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang on Friday, first near Taizhou at 08:05 and then near Wenzhou at 09:10 local time.

The timing was particularly difficult for shipping. Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan had already been dealing with congestion from earlier typhoon disruptions, and Saudel brought another round of operational restrictions.

Ningbo-Zhoushan was the first major gateway to shut

At Ningbo-Zhoushan, the response began on 26 August.

According to Kuehne+Nagel's operational update, empty-container operations were suspended from 16:00 on 26 August, followed by a complete suspension of terminal operations from 20:00. By 27 August, container yards and warehouses had also been suspended.

The port was effectively shut as the storm approached, with vessels moved to safer waters.

APL Logistics also reported that Ningbo's container terminals had halted operations from 26 August as authorities moved to the highest typhoon-response level.

Shanghai followed on 27 August

The disruption then moved north into Shanghai.

At Yangshan, empty-container operations stopped at 04:00 on 27 August, with all terminal operations suspended from 06:00.

At Waigaoqiao, empty-container operations were suspended from 14:00.

This matters because Shanghai and Ningbo are not ordinary regional ports. They are two of the most important container gateways in the world, and disruption at these hubs quickly affects vessel schedules and cargo movements across Asia.

The storm passed, but the port problem did not

Saudel made landfall on 28 August and weakened afterwards. The situation at the ports began improving the same day.

Kuehne+Nagel reported that Ningbo terminals resumed operations at 15:00 on 28 August, while Yangshan resumed at 14:00 and Waigaoqiao at 12:00. Container yards in Shanghai and Ningbo also resumed operations at 12:00.

But reopening a terminal does not immediately clear the vessels and containers that have accumulated during the closure.

Ships have to be re-sequenced. Berths have to be allocated again. Cargo has to move through terminals that are already under pressure. Trucks and barges have to catch up.

That is where the real impact of Saudel begins.

4.3 million TEU waiting globally — but not all in China

The shipping industry was already facing an unusually high level of congestion before Saudel arrived.

Industry data reported by The Loadstar showed more than 4.3 million TEU of container capacity waiting to berth worldwide on 25 August. Of this, approximately 2.2 million TEU was in North Asia, accounting for roughly half of global congestion.

That figure needs to be understood correctly.

It does not mean 4.3 million containers are sitting inside Chinese ports. It represents containership capacity waiting to berth around the world.

But North Asia is carrying a major share of that pressure, and repeated disruptions at Chinese gateways are making the recovery harder.

The vessel impact is likely to continue after reopening

For shipping lines, the immediate problem is vessel bunching.

A ship that misses its berthing window at Ningbo or Shanghai does not simply disappear from the schedule. It arrives later, competes for another berth and can then arrive late at the next port.

The result can be - Longer vessel waiting times / Cargo rollovers / Missed sailing schedules / Port omissions or revised rotations / Container dwell-time increases / Equipment shortages / Delays in truck and barge movements / Longer transit times.

APL Logistics warned that these effects could continue even after operations resume because accumulated vessels and cargo create a backlog during the recovery period.

Saudel is another blow after earlier typhoons

Saudel did not arrive in isolation.

Chinese ports had already been affected by a series of storms, including Bavi, Noul, Dolphin and Narra. The Loadstar reported that these earlier disruptions had already contributed to the exceptionally high level of container-port congestion before Saudel approached East China.

Earlier in August, Typhoon Dolphin alone caused major disruption at Shanghai and Ningbo, with more than 2.4 million TEU of containership capacity affected according to Kuehne+Nagel's assessment.

So the concern is no longer simply “How long will Saudel close the ports?”

BUT

How long will it take the shipping network to recover from one disruption after another?

The storm may be moving away. The delays are not.

By 28 August, Saudel had weakened and East China's major terminals were beginning to reopen. That is good news.

But the container shipping system does not return to normal the moment the wind drops.

The vessels that were moved away from port have to come back. Containers have to be handled. Missed sailings have to be rearranged. Empty equipment has to be repositioned. And carriers have to work through the backlog while trying to maintain their schedules.

For exporters, importers and freight forwarders, that could mean more uncertainty over ETAs, cargo cut-offs and sailing availability in the days ahead.

Typhoon Saudel has therefore become more than a weather event for China's shipping sector.

It is another disruption hitting two of the world's most important container gateways at a time when the global network was already under pressure.

Saudel made landfall on 28 August. The storm may be weakening — but the impact on China's ports and the vessels moving through them could continue well into September.