With Golden Week approaching, conditions at Chinese ports are further improving, though challenges elsewhere continue to impact vessel arrival times in Europe and the UK, where vessel bunching is affecting schedule reliability.
Easing at Chinese Ports
Demand for goods from China has dropped as peak season cargo was ordered earlier to account for longer transit times via the Cape of Good Hope. Now that this early peak is tapering off, pressure on capacity and congestion at key Chinese ports is easing. However, these improvements have yet to reach Southeast Asian hub ports, which remain congested.
Chinese ports are now operating efficiently, with only occasional delays. Service levels continue to improve ahead of the Golden Week holiday from 1st-7th October. We remind customers that during this period in China, offices and factories are closed, while ports will operate normally, though customs services will work with a reduced staff and limited hours.
Current Market Challenges
Adverse Weather Around Africa: Ships rerouting to avoid the Red Sea due to security concerns are now encountering winter storms, causing transit delays. As a result, vessels are arriving off-schedule at European ports.
Congestion at European Ports and Felixstowe: Delayed departures from Asia are causing multiple vessels to arrive simultaneously in Europe, leading to long queues for berths and unreliable arrival times. Felixstowe Port continues to experience unpredictable and lengthy waiting periods.
Ongoing Southeast Asia Congestion: Severe congestion continues at major Southeast Asian hub ports such as Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, and Yangon, disrupting feeder vessel schedules and shipping rotations.
Bangladesh’s Recovery: Chittagong (Chattogram) Port is still recovering from the backlog caused by recent civil unrest and flooding. Although operations are back to normal, container buildup continues to cause delays.
Uncertain Arrival Times
Inconsistent shipping schedules and extended transit times are making it difficult to predict arrival times. These disruptions are expected to persist through September and may extend into Golden Week. We will continue to update customers on these developments.
Looking Ahead: Global Shipping Alliances
As many customers may already know, changes to the structure of global container shipping alliances are expected next year. Carriers are gradually releasing details of their 2025 plans, and we will share more information with customers in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions or concerns about your shipment, please contact our Customer Service Team at 01376 533039.
