Do you think a typhoon only means holidays and work stoppages? It is quietly delaying the shipping channels for textile foreign trade in the second half of the year.

The simultaneous occurrence of three typhoons in this meteorological pattern is extremely rare, with the paths of the three major typhoons complementing each other, affecting the coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian, the Pearl River Delta in South China, and the South China Sea, thereby creating a dual-line pressured logistics dilemma. Among them, Typhoon ‘Saudel’ primarily strikes the coastal waters of East China, directly impacting core ports in East China such as Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Shanghai Port, and Wenzhou Port; Typhoon ‘Zitan’ continues to affect South China and the Qiongzhou Strait, cutting off maritime cargo routes to South China ports; the peripheral circulation of Typhoon ‘Esha’ brings strong winds and heavy rain, further expanding the impact of wind and rain along the coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, and exacerbating the stagnation of port operations. Under the compounded impact of multiple typhoons, the main domestic north-south shipping routes are completely obstructed, port typhoon prevention and control measures are strengthened, and the logistics suspension period far exceeds that of ordinary typhoon weather.

At present, major key ports in East China and South China have successively implemented control measures such as temporary suspension of navigation, terminal work stoppages, and gate closures. In East China, Shanghai Port and Ningbo-Zhoushan Port have fully suspended vessel entry and exit operations, with vessels already at the ports taking shelter nearby, and all berthing plans for new vessels postponed. The backlog of vessels left over from the previous typhoon has further worsened, with waiting times for some shipping routes increasing to 3-5 days. In South China, hub ports such as Yantian and Shekou in Shenzhen and Nansha in Guangzhou have temporarily halted container loading and unloading, truck entry, and cargo handover operations. Multiple domestic and international shipping routes have been temporarily canceled or skipped ports, and small and medium-sized ports in Fujian and Guangdong have completely shut down, resulting in the basic suspension of domestic maritime transport routes.

The large-scale suspension of port operations directly triggers a chain reaction of shipping schedule delays, and the congestion effect in maritime logistics continues to intensify. During typhoons, all port operations come to a halt. After the typhoon passes, the accumulated ships, containers, and cargo vehicles converge at the terminals, instantly causing berth congestion, yard saturation, and queueing at gates, forming a vicious cycle of ‘typhoon work stoppage — shipping schedule delays — post-disaster congestion — continued delays.’ According to recent announcements from multiple shipping companies, the routes from South China to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as the transoceanic routes from East China to Europe and the United States, have generally been delayed by 2-7 days. Some urgent shipping orders have been forced to change shipping schedules or transfer ports, which not only increases logistics time costs but also incurs additional fees such as port change fees, container detention fees, and storage fees, further exacerbating the operational burden on enterprises.

For the textile industry, this major disruption in port logistics coincides with the traditional peak shipping season, making the impact on the supply chain particularly pronounced, and completely disrupting the rhythm of production and operations across the entire chain. On one hand, the peak delivery period for autumn and winter fabrics, home textiles, and apparel export orders coincided with port closures caused by the typhoon. A large volume of finished goods has already been produced but cannot be shipped on time, accumulating in factory warehouses and port yards. Some orders face the risk of overdue delivery, which can easily lead to foreign clients’ claims, downgraded order ratings, customer attrition, and other issues. The impact is especially significant for small and medium-sized textile export enterprises.

On the other hand, the raw material supply chain of the textile industry is simultaneously disrupted. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, along with Guangdong, serve as the core clusters of the domestic textile industry, relying heavily on maritime and port logistics for a large supply of chemical fibers, cotton, dyes, and auxiliary materials. Port shutdowns have led to interruptions in the transportation of imported materials and the allocation of materials from other regions. As a result, some dyeing and weaving enterprises are experiencing delays in raw material replenishment and critical inventory shortages, forcing production lines to operate at reduced capacity or even temporarily halt production while awaiting materials, creating a dual dilemma of “logistics congestion, raw material shortages, production slowdown, and difficulties in shipment.”

In addition, logistics delays have triggered a chain reaction in the market. In the short term, tight ocean shipping capacity and unstable sailing schedules have caused slight fluctuations in what were previously stable sea freight rates. Coupled with additional costs such as storage and container detention, this further compresses the already thin profit margins of textile companies. At the same time, the significant increase in logistics uncertainty makes foreign trade enterprises hesitant to take on urgent long-term orders, forcing the order scheduling cycle to be extended, which is not conducive to the industry’s production and sales recovery in the fourth quarter. To avoid the risk of delays, some foreign trade end customers have begun adjusting their procurement channels, putting the domestic textile export market share at risk of passive loss.

Currently, major seaports are closely monitoring the typhoon developments and, while ensuring safety, are gradually and orderly resuming terminal operations, vessel scheduling, and collection and distribution services. However, it will still take 1–2 weeks to clear the backlog of goods at ports, restore shipping schedules, and unblock logistics chains. Industry analysts believe that the combined impact of the three typhoons constitutes a phase of extreme weather disturbances rather than a fundamental change in the industry’s supply pattern. Short-term logistics congestion and order delays are cyclical fluctuations, and as ports fully resume operations and transportation capacity returns, the supply chain will gradually stabilize.