Typhoon Dolphin Strands 2.46 Million TEU in East China; Shanghai and Ningbo Port Delays Expected to Take Weeks to Clear
On 9 August 2026, Typhoon Dolphin—the third and strongest typhoon to hit China in five weeks—made landfall along the eastern coast. Kuehne+Nagel, the world’s largest ocean freight forwarder, issued a client alert warning of widespread disruption to container shipping and regional supply chains across Northeast Asia. The Port of Shanghai and the Port of Ningbo suspended terminal operations on 7 and 8 August respectively. As of 12 August, a total of 177 container vessels (117 at Shanghai, 60 at Ningbo) were stranded or affected, representing approximately 2.46 million TEU of capacity—equivalent to 3.66% of the global container vessel fleet.
At the peak of the typhoon (9 August), only one vessel remained in Shanghai’s official anchorage. As weather conditions improved, vessels returned to both ports en masse, but the backlog has yet to clear. As of 12 August, the 7-day average waiting time at Ningbo reached 2.26 days (up nearly 15 hours week-on-week); Shanghai’s 7-day average stood at 3.95 days, with average arrival delays of approximately 5.63 days and departure delays of around 5.37 days. Over 200 container vessels have been affected across East China, including at least seven ultra-large container ships of 20,000 TEU or above—such as the OOCL Felixstowe(24,188 TEU) and the MSC Raya(24,116 TEU).
Ningbo resumed operations on the afternoon of 10 August, followed by Shanghai on the morning of 11 August. As two of the world’s most critical container hubs, the concentrated return of vessels has placed intense short-term pressure on berths, pilotage, tugs, and yard capacity. Carriers on major Asia–Europe and Asia–North America trade lanes are likely to face knock-on effects including vessel delays, port omissions, blank sailings, and container repositioning challenges. Torrential rain accompanying the typhoon extended northward toward Beijing and westward toward Wuhan, Hubei, disrupting road, rail, and regional distribution networks—meaning inland transport may become the bottleneck preventing full cargo flow recovery even after ports reopen.
Industry estimates indicate that schedule disruptions and delivery uncertainties will cascade downstream for several weeks following the resumption of port operations. For cargo currently moving to FBA/WFS destinations in the US, Canada, and UK, it is critical to monitor actual vessel schedules at Shanghai, Ningbo, and South China ports in real time, secure trucking and rail connections in advance, and build buffer time into overseas warehouse appointment windows to accommodate schedule drift.
About Us
Shenzhen Huayangda International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2011, Huayangda has 14 years of logistics expertise, with an overseas Chinese team ensuring seamless coordination. We continuously upgrade logistics channels and maintain long-term collaborations with platforms like Amazon and Walmart.
Headquartered in Bantian, Shenzhen, we’ve evolved from traditional to cross-border logistics, offering transparent services, competitive pricing, and end-to-end solutions—from quoting, booking, customs clearance, and insurance to last-mile delivery—across the US, Canada, and UK.
Mission: Empowering global trade.
Website: www.hydcn.com
Tagline: For reliable logistics, choose Huayangda.
END
Scan to follow us for more updates
Our main service:
● One Piece Dropshipping From Overseas Warehouse
Welcome to inquire about prices with us:
Contact: ivy@szwayota.com.cn
Whatsapp：+86 13632646894
Phone/Wechat : +86 17898460377
Post time: Aug-19-2026
