Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals

Name: Measured effect: Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals
Creator: World Freight Monitor
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals. The disruption ran from 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026) to 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026), 3 days, affecting Ningbo, Shanghai, Shanghai (Yangshan). Ningbo averaged 12.3 calls per day during the event window against an expected 49.7 (-75.2%). Shanghai averaged 45.0 calls per day during the event window against an expected 92.8 (-51.5%). Shanghai (Yangshan) averaged 8.0 calls per day during the event window against an expected 11.0 (-27.3%). Ningbo averaged 11.3 calls per day during the event window against an expected 29.2 (-61.1%).

Key facts

Started: 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026)
Ended: 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026)
Status: ended
Type: Weather stoppage
Severity: 3 Significant
Scope: regional
Chokepoints: None
Ports: Ningbo, Shanghai, Shanghai (Yangshan)
Lanes: None
Countries: China
Confidence: medium: Closure and reopening times come from a carrier advisory and forwarder notices that agree with each other and with our port call series, but no statement from a port authority was retrieved.
First reported: 2026-08-27 (27 August 2026)

Severity basis: Measured effects at two ports; the portwatch-port-calls series records 0 to 3 calls at Ningbo on 2026-08-26 and 2026-08-27 and 1 call at Shanghai on 2026-08-27, against daily means of about 49 and 88 in the preceding weeks.

What happened

Typhoon Saudel stopped container handling at Ningbo-Zhoushan and Shanghai in late August 2026, about two weeks after Typhoon Dolphin. Ningbo suspended empty container work from 16:00 on 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026) and all terminal operations that evening, with roughly 800 vessels reported moved to safe anchorages. Yangshan halted on 2026-08-27 (27 August 2026) and Waigaoqiao suspended empty container work the same day. Saudel came ashore in southern Zhejiang around midday on 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026), and terminals at Waigaoqiao, Yangshan and Ningbo reopened between midday and 15:00 that day. Forwarders warned that bunched arrivals would add to congestion already present across North Asia.

Measured effect

Port calls, Ningbo

Baseline (expected): 49.7 calls per day
Observed: 12.3 calls per day
Change: -37.3 (-75.2%)
Standardised score: -5.1
Event window: 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28 (3 days)
Baseline window: 2026-06-24 to 2026-08-18 (51 valid days)
Method: wfm-effect-1.0
Computed: 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026), data revision 2:9f060b5c777a

Port calls, Ningbo, 2026-06-17 (17 June 2026) to 2026-09-11 (11 September 2026): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2026-07-10 to 69 calls per day on 2026-08-12, with a mean of 46.5 calls per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-11, was 52 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-09-15 (15 September 2026).

Port calls, Ningbo (calls per day).
Date	calls per day
2026-06-17	53
2026-06-18	56
2026-06-19	48
2026-06-20	63
2026-06-21	44
2026-06-22	54
2026-06-23	48
2026-06-24	56
2026-06-25	56
2026-06-26	65
2026-06-27	55
2026-06-28	58
2026-06-29	65
2026-06-30	49
2026-07-01	43
2026-07-02	36
2026-07-03	57
2026-07-04	52
2026-07-05	41
2026-07-06	54
2026-07-07	60
2026-07-08	52
2026-07-09	15
2026-07-10	0
2026-07-11	0
2026-07-12	0
2026-07-13	56
2026-07-14	59
2026-07-15	60
2026-07-16	46
2026-07-17	60
2026-07-18	63
2026-07-19	55
2026-07-20	56
2026-07-21	57
2026-07-22	54
2026-07-23	59
2026-07-24	49
2026-07-25	49
2026-07-26	52
2026-07-27	54
2026-07-28	50
2026-07-29	52
2026-07-30	40
2026-07-31	45
2026-08-01	57
2026-08-02	45
2026-08-03	59
2026-08-04	53
2026-08-05	49
2026-08-06	26
2026-08-07	0
2026-08-08	0
2026-08-09	0
2026-08-10	21
2026-08-11	52
2026-08-12	69
2026-08-13	53
2026-08-14	53
2026-08-15	49
2026-08-16	54
2026-08-17	58
2026-08-18	50
2026-08-19	47
2026-08-20	46
2026-08-21	46
2026-08-22	54
2026-08-23	44
2026-08-24	58
2026-08-25	46
2026-08-26	3
2026-08-27	0
2026-08-28	34
2026-08-29	67
2026-08-30	53
2026-08-31	58
2026-09-01	55
2026-09-02	50
2026-09-03	53
2026-09-04	46
2026-09-05	34
2026-09-06	55
2026-09-07	48
2026-09-08	51
2026-09-09	53
2026-09-10	47
2026-09-11	52

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Port calls, Shanghai

Baseline (expected): 92.8 calls per day
Observed: 45.0 calls per day
Change: -47.8 (-51.5%)
Standardised score: -4.9
Event window: 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28 (3 days)
Baseline window: 2026-06-24 to 2026-08-18 (51 valid days)
Method: wfm-effect-1.0
Computed: 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026), data revision 3:dad91b1cf2d3

Port calls, Shanghai, 2026-06-17 (17 June 2026) to 2026-09-11 (11 September 2026): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2026-07-11 to 138 calls per day on 2026-08-29, with a mean of 82.8 calls per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-11, was 72 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28.

Port calls, Shanghai (calls per day).
Date	calls per day
2026-06-17	92
2026-06-18	97
2026-06-19	84
2026-06-20	94
2026-06-21	93
2026-06-22	84
2026-06-23	92
2026-06-24	92
2026-06-25	88
2026-06-26	99
2026-06-27	98
2026-06-28	96
2026-06-29	100
2026-06-30	90
2026-07-01	76
2026-07-02	98
2026-07-03	94
2026-07-04	82
2026-07-05	93
2026-07-06	95
2026-07-07	107
2026-07-08	91
2026-07-09	59
2026-07-10	7
2026-07-11	0
2026-07-12	0
2026-07-13	57
2026-07-14	93
2026-07-15	106
2026-07-16	95
2026-07-17	109
2026-07-18	112
2026-07-19	98
2026-07-20	128
2026-07-21	102
2026-07-22	105
2026-07-23	77
2026-07-24	92
2026-07-25	87
2026-07-26	93
2026-07-27	93
2026-07-28	97
2026-07-29	96
2026-07-30	81
2026-07-31	86
2026-08-01	95
2026-08-02	90
2026-08-03	99
2026-08-04	108
2026-08-05	106
2026-08-06	67
2026-08-07	22
2026-08-08	0
2026-08-09	1
2026-08-10	10
2026-08-11	66
2026-08-12	113
2026-08-13	90
2026-08-14	83
2026-08-15	98
2026-08-16	95
2026-08-17	92
2026-08-18	111
2026-08-19	98
2026-08-20	98
2026-08-21	83
2026-08-22	68
2026-08-23	91
2026-08-24	93
2026-08-25	73
2026-08-26	46
2026-08-27	1
2026-08-28	85
2026-08-29	138
2026-08-30	98
2026-08-31	93
2026-09-01	92
2026-09-02	94
2026-09-03	88
2026-09-04	83
2026-09-05	88
2026-09-06	74
2026-09-07	86
2026-09-08	77
2026-09-09	60
2026-09-10	70
2026-09-11	72

Port calls, Shanghai (Yangshan)

Baseline (expected): 11.0 calls per day
Observed: 8.0 calls per day
Change: -3.0 (-27.3%)
Standardised score: -0.9
Event window: 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28 (3 days)
Baseline window: 2026-06-24 to 2026-08-18 (51 valid days)
Method: wfm-effect-1.0
Computed: 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026), data revision 2:39dab429bf36

Port calls, Shanghai (Yangshan), 2026-06-17 (17 June 2026) to 2026-09-11 (11 September 2026): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2026-07-10 to 18 calls per day on 2026-06-26, with a mean of 11.1 calls per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-11, was 15 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28.

Port calls, Shanghai (Yangshan) (calls per day).
Date	calls per day
2026-06-17	15
2026-06-18	14
2026-06-19	16
2026-06-20	15
2026-06-21	13
2026-06-22	15
2026-06-23	13
2026-06-24	11
2026-06-25	16
2026-06-26	18
2026-06-27	18
2026-06-28	10
2026-06-29	15
2026-06-30	12
2026-07-01	14
2026-07-02	16
2026-07-03	13
2026-07-04	15
2026-07-05	15
2026-07-06	14
2026-07-07	11
2026-07-08	13
2026-07-09	10
2026-07-10	0
2026-07-11	0
2026-07-12	0
2026-07-13	17
2026-07-14	15
2026-07-15	9
2026-07-16	11
2026-07-17	10
2026-07-18	12
2026-07-19	11
2026-07-20	12
2026-07-21	11
2026-07-22	11
2026-07-23	11
2026-07-24	11
2026-07-25	12
2026-07-26	7
2026-07-27	15
2026-07-28	10
2026-07-29	9
2026-07-30	15
2026-07-31	12
2026-08-01	7
2026-08-02	12
2026-08-03	13
2026-08-04	10
2026-08-05	10
2026-08-06	12
2026-08-07	0
2026-08-08	0
2026-08-09	0
2026-08-10	0
2026-08-11	18
2026-08-12	10
2026-08-13	11
2026-08-14	10
2026-08-15	12
2026-08-16	11
2026-08-17	15
2026-08-18	9
2026-08-19	10
2026-08-20	11
2026-08-21	10
2026-08-22	13
2026-08-23	10
2026-08-24	13
2026-08-25	10
2026-08-26	6
2026-08-27	0
2026-08-28	18
2026-08-29	13
2026-08-30	12
2026-08-31	14
2026-09-01	5
2026-09-02	14
2026-09-03	12
2026-09-04	12
2026-09-05	11
2026-09-06	11
2026-09-07	13
2026-09-08	12
2026-09-09	13
2026-09-10	9
2026-09-11	15

Container ship port calls, Ningbo

Baseline (expected): 29.2 calls per day
Observed: 11.3 calls per day
Change: -17.8 (-61.1%)
Standardised score: -3.2
Event window: 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28 (3 days)
Baseline window: 2026-06-24 to 2026-08-18 (51 valid days)
Method: wfm-effect-1.0
Computed: 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026), data revision 2:de88e495877d

Container ship port calls, Ningbo, 2026-06-17 (17 June 2026) to 2026-09-11 (11 September 2026): values ranged from 0 calls per day on 2026-07-10 to 47 calls per day on 2026-07-13, with a mean of 27.8 calls per day. The latest value, for 2026-09-11, was 29 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2026-08-26 to 2026-08-28.

Container ship port calls, Ningbo (calls per day).
Date	calls per day
2026-06-17	36
2026-06-18	34
2026-06-19	31
2026-06-20	33
2026-06-21	28
2026-06-22	31
2026-06-23	28
2026-06-24	32
2026-06-25	33
2026-06-26	40
2026-06-27	29
2026-06-28	37
2026-06-29	40
2026-06-30	32
2026-07-01	27
2026-07-02	16
2026-07-03	35
2026-07-04	33
2026-07-05	30
2026-07-06	31
2026-07-07	38
2026-07-08	37
2026-07-09	15
2026-07-10	0
2026-07-11	0
2026-07-12	0
2026-07-13	47
2026-07-14	34
2026-07-15	34
2026-07-16	26
2026-07-17	35
2026-07-18	31
2026-07-19	37
2026-07-20	36
2026-07-21	32
2026-07-22	30
2026-07-23	27
2026-07-24	30
2026-07-25	29
2026-07-26	32
2026-07-27	33
2026-07-28	27
2026-07-29	32
2026-07-30	23
2026-07-31	26
2026-08-01	31
2026-08-02	27
2026-08-03	35
2026-08-04	28
2026-08-05	34
2026-08-06	23
2026-08-07	0
2026-08-08	0
2026-08-09	0
2026-08-10	21
2026-08-11	32
2026-08-12	35
2026-08-13	28
2026-08-14	24
2026-08-15	28
2026-08-16	31
2026-08-17	32
2026-08-18	28
2026-08-19	33
2026-08-20	30
2026-08-21	27
2026-08-22	30
2026-08-23	29
2026-08-24	36
2026-08-25	31
2026-08-26	2
2026-08-27	0
2026-08-28	32
2026-08-29	27
2026-08-30	27
2026-08-31	31
2026-09-01	30
2026-09-02	31
2026-09-03	29
2026-09-04	26
2026-09-05	24
2026-09-06	31
2026-09-07	25
2026-09-08	33
2026-09-09	32
2026-09-10	27
2026-09-11	29

Previous computations (4)

2026-09-20, wfm-effect-1.0, revision 1:47b79bae394d: observed 11.3 against baseline 29.2 calls per day
2026-09-20, wfm-effect-1.0, revision 1:351fce2f7fb8: observed 8.0 against baseline 11.0 calls per day
2026-09-20, wfm-effect-1.0, revision 2:e785e1c552e0: observed 44.0 against baseline 92.3 calls per day
2026-09-20, wfm-effect-1.0, revision 1:e3465267195c: observed 12.3 against baseline 49.7 calls per day

Timeline

2026-08-26Ningbo suspends empty container operations at 16:00 and all container terminal operations by the evening, at its highest typhoon response level. [s1] [s2]
2026-08-27Shanghai's Yangshan halts operations at 06:00 and Waigaoqiao suspends empty container work; Ningbo yards and warehouses also close. [s1]
2026-08-28Saudel makes landfall in southern Zhejiang around midday; Waigaoqiao reopens at 12:00, Yangshan at 14:00 and Ningbo terminals at 15:00. [s1]

Cause

Port operators suspended terminal work under typhoon emergency responses activated by local authorities as the storm approached the Zhejiang and Fujian coast. Attributed by: Ningbo and Shanghai port authorities and terminal operators, as reported by logistics firms. [s1] [s2] [s3]

Resolution

2026-08-28 (28 August 2026): Terminals in Shanghai and Ningbo reopened between 12:00 and 15:00 on 2026-08-28 as the storm weakened, though berthing delays continued. [s1]

Corrections

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026).

Sources

[s1] Kuehne+Nagel, Typhoon Saudel makes landfall; East China ports reopen as storm weakens, published 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)
[s2] Vantage Logistics, Typhoon Saudel approaches East China, Ningbo port suspends operations, published 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)
[s3] APL Logistics, Customer Advisory, Typhoon Saudel Disrupting Ningbo Port Operations Amid Severe North Asia Congestion, published 2026-08-27 (27 August 2026), accessed 2026-09-20. Archived copy. (press)