Shanghai Port to halt operations as it faces another typhoon

Asia’s largest container shipping hub is bracing for its second major storm of this month, with ports in Shanghai and Ningbo preparing to halt operations as Typhoon Muifa approaches.

The typhoon is likely to make landfall late Wednesday between Ningbo and Zhoushan city in Zhejiang province, which has raised the level of emergency response to the storm, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Muifa is currently located northeast of Taiwan, packing winds of 104 miles (167 kilometers) per hour with gusts up to 127 miles per hour, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It follows close on the heels of Super Typhoon Hinnamnor, which brushed past the coast last week, temporarily closing Shanghai’s major container port of Yangshan.

Yangshan and other container terminals will begin halting some operations Tuesday evening, with all facilities shut by Wednesday morning, according to a statement from Shanghai Port. The Meishan container terminal in Ningbo will close down at midnight Tuesday.

The coastal region is taking additional precautionary measures. Some passenger train services connecting China’s east coast will be suspended from Tuesday, according to the local railway administration, while Ningbo said schools will be closed Wednesday.