Severe port congestion is continuing to affect major export hubs across East and South China, with vessel delays, port omissions, restricted terminal gate-in windows and equipment availability impacting ocean freight operations.

Recent typhoons have disrupted vessel schedules and terminal operations, contributing to vessel bunching and significant backlogs as ports and carriers work to restore normal operations.

Woodland Group teams in China are closely monitoring conditions across the region, particularly at Shanghai, Ningbo and Shenzhen, where customers may experience changes to vessel schedules and longer transit times.

Shanghai: vessel waiting times exceed five days

At the Port of Shanghai, average vessel waiting times have exceeded five days over the past week, with recovery efforts following recent severe weather still ongoing.

Significant vessel delays and schedule disruption continue to affect port operations. To help alleviate congestion and stabilise service networks, carriers are omitting selected Shanghai port calls, which may result in cargo being rolled onto subsequent sailings.

Although terminal gate-in and gate-out operations have resumed, additional processing times and fluctuating schedules continue to affect cargo planning and container availability.

Export gate restrictions also remain in effect, with terminals currently accepting export cargo only for vessels with an Estimated Time of Berth (ETB) within approximately two to three days.

Ningbo: congestion continues following Typhoon Dolphin

At Ningbo, average vessel waiting times have been approximately 3.5 days over the past week.

Following Typhoon Dolphin, a large number of vessels delayed their arrivals after seeking shelter. This has contributed to vessel bunching, increased congestion and subsequent port omissions as carriers work to restore schedule reliability.

Ports and terminals are continuing to process the resulting backlog of vessels, containers and truck traffic.

Export gate restrictions remain in place, with export cargo currently accepted for vessels with an ETB within approximately three days.

Shenzhen: delays at Yantian and Shekou

Congestion is also affecting the key South China ports of Yantian and Shekou, where average vessel waiting times have been approximately four days over the past week.

Current waiting times are reported at approximately four to five days, with further pressure possible as vessels delayed at Shanghai and Ningbo progress through carrier networks and arrive in South China.

Export gate restrictions currently allow cargo to be delivered for vessels with an ETB within approximately seven days.

What could this mean for your shipments?

As carriers and terminals respond to the congestion, customers shipping from affected ports may experience:

• Extended transit times as vessels wait longer to berth and complete cargo operations.
• Port omissions where scheduled calls are skipped to help carriers recover vessel schedules.
• Rolled cargo where containers are moved to subsequent sailings.
• Changes to port rotations as vessels are redirected or schedules adjusted.
• Restricted terminal gate-in windows, affecting when export containers can be delivered.
• Equipment availability challenges as disrupted schedules affect normal container flows.

The extent of disruption will vary by port, carrier, service and individual shipment.

Planning ahead

Customers with cargo moving through affected ports are encouraged to book as early as possible and allow additional lead time within their supply chain planning.

Where shipments are particularly time-sensitive, alternative routings or transport modes may also be worth considering.

Woodland Group's ocean freight teams are monitoring port conditions, carrier schedules, space and equipment availability and will continue to support customers with affected shipments.

If you have an upcoming shipment from China and are concerned about potential disruption, please contact your Woodland Group representative to discuss your shipment, routing and available options.