China and Hong Kong raise emergency alerts ahead of Typhoon Yagi

Storm Yangi has intensified into a super typhoon as it churns towards China, making it possibly the strongest storm to hit the country in nearly a decade. Trains have ceased operating in Hainan and flights have been cancelled with the super typhoon bringing high winds and rain to the Chinese coast, having already left a trail of devastation in the Philippines.

Its epicentre was located 400km southeast of Zhanjiang City in Guangdong province on Thursday evening, moving westward at 10-15 kmph.

The severe tropical storm intensified into a super typhoon on Thursday morning with wind gusts exceeding 210 kmph, making it a Category 5 equivalent typhoon by various classifications, and a “violent typhoon” according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) – its highest storm classification.

We expect the typhoon to have a significant impact on port operations in Hong Kong, affecting shipments to and from the region, both by air and by sea.