Maersk warns of unusually active 2026 East Asian typhoon season disrupting shipping

Maersk issued an alert that the 2026 typhoon season in East Asia is exceeding normal activity, with multiple powerful storms persisting for two weeks and triggering extensive flooding and port bottlenecks across the region. The company warned that these disruptions could extend beyond initial expectations. Forecasts from the UK-based Tropical Storm Risk earlier this year predicted the season would rank among the most active ever recorded in the Northwest Pacific, estimating roughly 28 tropical cyclones compared with the 1991-2020 average of 25.5.

Japan’s Weathernews, a maritime weather specialist, reported that 19 typhoons had already developed, far surpassing the usual 14 by this stage, and stressed a strong probability that the storms would be unusually intense or prolonged. The combined effect threatens to hamper cargo movements from Asia, the world’s leading export region, and could ripple through global supply chains.