Hangzhou activates emergency response as Typhoon Champi approaches

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, activated a Level IV emergency response to Typhoon Champi at 5 pm on Friday, as the 30th typhoon of the year approached.

At 3 pm, Champi was about 772 kilometers southeast of Hangzhou, packing maximum winds of 45 meters per second near its center. It was forecast to move northwest at 10 to 15 km per hour, bringing significant wind and rainfall to Hangzhou from Friday to Sunday, according to the city's meteorological observatory.

Zhoushan in eastern Zhejiang stepped up safety inspections and coordinated the delivery of essential supplies to remote islands.

For nighttime transport, the Shengsi Maritime Safety Office tracked vessel movements, scheduled port entries and used vessel traffic management and smart maritime systems to monitor ships throughout their journeys. It also reminded passing vessels to maintain a proper lookout and navigate cautiously amid poor visibility and complex conditions.

The combined effects of cold air and Typhoon Champi have brought persistent strong winds and rain to the East China Sea and coastal waters off Jiaxing in northern Zhejiang. On the morning of Friday, Jiaxing Port, a key energy transshipment hub in northern Zhejiang, was racing to unload energy supplies and other essential industrial materials before conditions worsened.

At around 8 am, a chemical tanker was completing the unloading of 15,000 metric tons of chemical raw materials at the Zhapu port area before heading to safer offshore waters. Two other vessels, having worked through the night to unload cargo at Dushan port, were preparing to depart safely before the typhoon's impact intensified.

Since Jiaxing's coastal areas activated their emergency response, more than 400,000 metric tons of key materials, including thermal coal and chemical raw materials, have been unloaded, helping safeguard regional industrial supply chains and meet public needs.