This year's severe and unusually frequent typhoon season is disrupting maritime shipping across Asia, especially at the Port of Shanghai, the world's busiest container port. Analysis from Sea-Intelligence, a shipping consultancy in Singapore, shows that in July only about one in five container ships, roughly 20%, arrived in Shanghai on schedule. Meanwhile A.P. Moller-Maersk, the global shipping giant, warned on Wednesday that several powerful typhoons sweeping through the region in recent weeks have caused congestion at many major Asian ports and reduced the share of vessels arriving on time. In August, as many as 12 tropical cyclones formed in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea, the highest number of tropical cyclones in a single month since 1961, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. China's Ministry of Transport said the frequent storms disrupted bulk cargo shipping along the coast, temporarily pushing up freight rates for iron ore, coal and grain. One key factor is the rapidly intensifying El Niño, which tends to favour the formation of powerful storms in the western North Pacific, and Tropical Storm Risk, a commercial weather forecasting firm in the UK, expects this year's typhoon season could be one of the most active on record.
A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S Series AMaersk warned that powerful typhoons caused congestion at major Asian ports and reduced on-time vessel arrivals.
AP Moeller - Maersk A/S BMaersk warned that powerful typhoons caused congestion at major Asian ports and reduced on-time vessel arrivals.
