Dear BRi customers,
Authorities in China’s eastern province of Zhejiang have ordered ships to return to port, told schools to close and evacuated tourists from nearby islands, as one of this year’s strongest typhoons is set to make landfall.
Typhoon Muifa intensified on Tuesday as it barrelled towards the twin port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan, which share the ranking of second-busiest port in China, in terms of cargo handled.
State media said China’s 12th cyclone of the year was expected to make landfall on Wednesday between the cities of Wenling and Zhoushan, bringing torrential rains on its sweep through eastern and southern coastal areas.
That includes the commercial hub of Shanghai, just north of Ningbo and Zhoushan, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Waves of up to 5 metres are expected near Shanghai, China’s busiest container seaport.
Shanghai will suspend some operations of its port, including Yangshan terminal and others, from Tuesday evening and halt all operations on Wednesday morning, the Shanghai International Shipping Institute said.
Nearly 7400 commercial vessels sought shelter in Zhejiang’s ports, including Zhoushan, Ningbo and Taizhou, while passenger ship routes across the province were suspended from noon, state media said.
The three cities and Shanghai together have a population of 42.26 million.
The Zhejiang government ordered all fishing vessels to return to dock before noon. Ningbo, Zhoushan and Taizhou ordered schools suspended on Wednesday.
Weather authorities said Muifa’s centre was about 490km southeast of the Zhejiang city of Xiangshan. The typhoon will move northwest after hitting land and gradually weaken, the Central Meteorological Administration added.
BRi Shanghai
Office: All staff work in the office.
Warehouse: Operates as usual.
Port and container yard: Some stopped releasing container and gate in. Vessel schedule delay is expected.
BR Ningbo
Office: All staff work from home.
Warehouse and port: Operation stopped from late 13th September. It’s expected to resume from 15th September.
