Chinese ports at a standstill as Typhoon Muifa heads for eastern coast
- Ships told to return to port, schools closed and tourists evacuated from islands as storm barrels towards Ningbo and Zhoushan
- Waves of up to 5 metres are expected near Shanghai, which will halt port operations on Wednesday with flights also disrupted
China’s eastern Zhejiang province ordered ships to return to port, asked schools to close and evacuated tourists on nearby islands, with one of the strongest typhoons this year making landfall imminently.
Muifa intensified into a strong typhoon on Tuesday as it barrelled towards the twin port cities of Ningbo and Zhoushan, which share the second-busiest port in China by cargo handled.
The storm is expected to make landfall between Wenling and Zhoushan on Wednesday, state media reported.
It will bring torrential rains as it sweeps through eastern and southern coastal areas, including commercial hub Shanghai which is just north of Ningbo and Zhoushan, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Waves of up to 5 metres (16 feet) 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, according to the Shanghai International Shipping Institute. China Southern Airlines said it had cancelled 25 flights in Shanghai airports on Tuesday and planned to cancel another 11 flights for Wednesday.