Typhoon Dolphin paralyzes China’s key shipping hubs ahead of landfall

Major ports near Shanghai, including Zhoushan, China’s largest ship-refueling hub, have suspended operations as Typhoon Dolphin approaches the country’s eastern coast, Bloomberg reports.

Operations at Zhoushan, Ningbo and Changjiangkou have been halted, according to maritime alerts reviewed by people in the shipping industry. Vessels are still permitted to leave the ports, while ships typically move offshore and anchor away from port infrastructure ahead of a cyclone.

Typhoon Dolphin is currently near Japan’s Okinawa Island and is tracking toward Wenzhou in China’s Zhejiang province. The China Meteorological Administration forecasts that the storm will make landfall along the eastern coast with maximum sustained winds of up to 151 kilometres (94 miles) per hour, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane.

The Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration, a provincial body under China’s main maritime traffic safety authority, issued a notice earlier this week banning vessels from entering the Yangtze River from August 3. Zhoushan has been closed since then.

Port closures are often not formally announced by authorities, as suspending operations during typhoons is considered routine.

The agency overseeing maritime traffic around major oil-import hubs including Rizhao, Yantai and Dalian, north of Shanghai, has also advised vessels against sailing south.

China’s Ministry of Transport, which oversees maritime services, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Coastal areas around Shanghai and Hangzhou are expected to experience heavy rainfall from the weekend, with the heaviest precipitation forecast for August 9. Parts of Zhejiang could receive as much as 550 millimeters (21.7 inches) of rain within 24 hours, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

The rainfall is expected to move inland early next week, affecting provinces including Jiangxi and Anhui.

In Zhejiang, maritime authorities have activated emergency measures in response to the typhoon. According to CCTV, all 162 passenger ferry routes in the province have been suspended, while 474 construction vessels have been moved to safe shelters.

By Vafa Guliyeva