Typhoon Saudel hit the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo again on August 28, and as a result, the congestion still hasn’t cleared. In fact, this isn’t an isolated event. It adds to a string of typhoons (Bavi, Noul, Dolphin, and Narra) that have been disrupting Chinese port operations for weeks. So if you have a shipment in transit or about to leave Asia, here’s what this actually means for you, beyond the headline.
The number that sums it up
According to tracking firm Linerlytica, global port congestion after Saudel kept 3.92 million TEU of fleet capacity immobilized. In other words, that’s close to 11 % of the world total. Northern Asia accounts for 54 % of that congestion, with roughly 2.5 million TEU of ships waiting to berth. That’s happening at Shanghai and Ningbo, the world’s two busiest ports, where waits now run up to 10 days.
What “congestion” actually means in practice
However, the TEU figure doesn’t say much on its own unless it’s translated into what actually happens to a container caught in that chain. According to JOC, since Saudel there have been more cases of:
- Extra transshipments: your cargo may end up switching vessels at an intermediate port that wasn’t originally planned, adding days to transit.
- Rolled cargo: the container is bumped off the vessel it was booked on, and it then moves to the next available sailing. This happens regardless of anything related to the cargo itself.
- Skipped port calls: some carriers are omitting scheduled stops on their route to try to make up time. As a result, this can leave cargo stranded waiting for the next call.
On top of that, high density in container yards is also becoming another bottleneck, beyond the wait for vessels to berth.
Wait times vary by carrier
That said, not every carrier is absorbing the impact the same way. In Ningbo, Hapag-Lloyd reported waits of up to 5 days for Gemini Alliance services, the cooperation network between Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk that shares vessels and routes to optimize their schedules, and between 3 and 6 days for services outside that network. For that reason, this is exactly the kind of detail we verify for you at Fenix on every shipment. The carrier and the specific service used for your cargo do change the real transit time, beyond whatever the original booking says.
Why finding vessel space is harder too
But congestion isn’t the only problem. According to Linerlytica, many vessels above 4,000 TEU are already booked months in advance. So practically no tonnage is available for immediate delivery in the charter market. New container ship deliveries reached just 64,640 TEU, their lowest level in three years. Meanwhile, 18 new charter contracts were signed just last week, in a market that keeps tightening.
“Ships are changing hands in a circular fashion, as carriers keep seeking new charters to replace capacity coming off contract.” — Linerlytica
As a result, fewer available vessels, combined with congestion, are keeping Transpacific rates firm. However, the Asia-Europe market shows the opposite trend, with rates falling on weaker demand.
What to check on your current shipment
- Is your cargo moving on a Gemini Alliance service or an independent one? Wait times aren’t the same.
- Is there a risk your container gets rolled to the next sailing?
- Does the original itinerary include a port call the carrier is currently skipping?
Because of all this, at Fenix we actively track the real itinerary of every shipment, not just the initial booking. In a context like this, the gap between what was booked and what actually happens can run several days.
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