Prime Freight’s summary of a September 2022 report by The Loadstar. Read the original for the full story.
In early September 2022 Typhoon Hinnamnor forced container terminals in Shanghai, Ningbo and Busan to close, adding fresh delays to Asian export schedules.
According to The Loadstar, Shanghai’s container terminals and yards closed until further notice, Ningbo’s terminals had shut a few days earlier, and Shanghai Pudong airport cancelled most flights. Forwarders expected operations to resume within a couple of days and departures to slip by about two days, with each vessel’s status to be checked individually.
Maersk said pilot services at Shanghai and Ningbo had been suspended, container ships had been told to leave port, and Busan and Gwangyang were also closed. Schedules from Ningbo were already under pressure from blank sailings on weaker trades, so the storm compounded existing disruption. South Korea expected the typhoon, reported as possibly the strongest in its history, to make landfall near Busan, leading to flight cancellations and business closures.
What it meant for shippers
Typhoon closures are usually short, but they cause bunching: ships arrive together when ports reopen, and knock-on delays can outlast the closure itself. During the August–October typhoon season it is common to allow a few days of buffer on Asian departures.