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Season Is Open: Are You and Your Ship Ready for Typhoon and Hurricane Season 2026?

🕑 5 min read words News

The 2026 Season Has Already Started — And It Will Get Worse

The 2026 typhoon season has already produced a super typhoon — Sinlaku — with minimum pressures recorded at 905 hPa and winds of 215 km/h. The season is far from over. In the Atlantic, hurricane season runs June to November. For ships operating across the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic basins, the next five months represent the period of highest weather-related risk of the year.

The question is not whether extreme weather will affect vessels in these regions — it will. The question is whether you and your crew are ready.

Why Ships Get Into Trouble in Heavy Weather

The majority of heavy weather casualties share common factors — not bad luck, but preventable failures in preparation, decision-making, and seamanship.

Late Weather Monitoring

Typhoons and hurricanes can intensify rapidly and alter track unpredictably. Crews that rely on a single daily weather file or check forecasts infrequently are always reacting, never anticipating. Effective weather routing is a continuous process, not a one-time pre-departure check.

Misjudging the Dangerous Semicircle

In the Northern Hemisphere, a tropical cyclone’s dangerous semicircle is the right-hand side of the storm’s track, where winds are strongest and the vessel is most likely to be drawn into the storm’s path. In the Southern Hemisphere, the dangerous semicircle is on the left. Many mariners know this in theory. Fewer apply it confidently under pressure, with a real storm developing and management pressing for schedule.

Anchor Dragging in Sheltered Anchorages

Vessels seeking shelter at anchor during heavy weather are a major source of incidents. An anchor that holds in normal conditions can drag when wind and swell combination creates cyclic loading on the cable. Japan P&I specifically highlights the need to prepare engines early when sheltering at anchor, and to monitor anchor bearing and cable tension continuously. Do not wait for the anchor to drag before you act — by then the window for safe recovery may have closed.

Following Sea Scenarios

Head sea conditions are uncomfortable but generally manageable. Following sea conditions — where the swell overtakes or matches vessel speed — create risk of broaching, loss of steering effectiveness, and in extreme cases, parametric rolling or pooping. These scenarios require positive, confident ship handling with clear knowledge of the vessel’s behaviour.

Insufficient Pre-Storm Securing

Loose equipment, inadequately lashed cargo, open vents and hatches — these are pre-storm failures that become casualties during the storm. A vessel properly secured before heavy weather gives her crew options. One that hasn’t forces her crew to fight on two fronts simultaneously.

Before the Weather: Your Checklist

Monitor GMDSS weather broadcasts, commercial routing services, and NHK/NOAA advisories daily during season
Know your vessel’s minimum safe speed in head seas and maximum safe speed in following seas
Confirm all cargo securing equipment is in good order and lashings checked
Verify all watertight closures, vents, and hatches are operational and will close quickly
Check anchoring equipment — windlass, cables, shackle pins — before entering an area where anchoring may be required
Confirm stability is within approved limits with adequate GM for anticipated conditions
Brief all crew on heavy weather duties and emergency stations

During Heavy Weather: What Must Not Stop

Post continuous bridge watch — do not reduce bridge manning during severe conditions
Monitor vessel heading relative to swell direction — avoid beam-on conditions in breaking seas
If at anchor: monitor anchor bearing every 15 minutes, have engine ready for immediate use
Reduce speed proactively — do not wait until conditions are unmanageable
Maintain communication with owners but ensure the Master retains full authority over safety decisions
Log all significant events, course and speed changes, weather observations

The typhoon does not care about your ETA. A vessel that arrives late is inconvenient. A vessel that loses cargo, injures crew, or founders is a catastrophe. The ISM Code gives you the authority to make the call. Use it.