Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast ordered ships on September 13th to return to port as typhoon Muifa approaches. It is one of the strongest typhoons this year expected to make landfall in China.
Muifa was heading for the twin port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan, which in terms of cargo handled share the second-busiest port in China.
The storm was expected to make landfall between Wenling and Zhoushan on Wednesday September 14th, bringing torrential rains as it sweeps through commercial hub Shanghai, which is just north of Ningbo and Zhoushan, and other areas on the southern east coast.
Waves of up to five metres (16 feet) were expected near Shanghai, which is China’s busiest container port.
Shanghai International Shipping Institute said that it would be suspending some operations of its port, including Yangshan terminal and others, from Tuesday evening on, and would halt all operations on Wednesday morning,
Nearly 7,400 commercial vessels sought shelter in ports in Zhejiang, including Zhoushan, Ningbo and Taizhou, while passenger ship routes across the province were suspended as of noon on Tuesday. The Zhejiang government ordered all fishing vessels to return to dock before noon.
