Port Congestion | Week 51line-up Bad Weather and New Year Cargo Rush Cause Port Congestion in Many Asian Countries

Carriers and freight forwarders have indicated that, due to the freight peak before the Lunar New Year combined with adverse weather conditions, there is severe congestion at major ports in Asia, with ship anchorage delays lasting up to five days.

Shipping companies affected the most have disclosed that the ports with the most severe impacts include Shanghai, Tokyo, Ningbo, Busan, and Manila. Although the duration of delays varies among container companies, as the 15-day Lunar New Year beginning on January 29 approaches, factory production slows down, and shippers from Europe and North America rush to transport goods, leading to further congestion at ports.

Increase in ship numbers at Shanghai and Ningbo Ports

Shanghai and Ningbo Port in the Yangtze River Delta region are particularly congested due to high ship traffic and delays caused by adverse weather. The latest data shows a significant increase in the number of ships waiting to anchor outside Shanghai and Ningbo Port, far exceeding historical levels for the same period.

Companies related to the situation stated that after the closure of Yangshan Port due to a typhoon, the port experienced severe congestion at its berths last week, with ships either delayed or waiting for up to five days. According to data from relevant platforms, the Pudong Waigaoqiao Container Terminal, about 20 miles from downtown Shanghai, has an average waiting time of three days for ships due to severe congestion at all terminal berths.

“The average waiting time at Ningbo Port is about 1.5 days, mainly affected by the peak season's cargo peak and weather conditions,” said a person involved.

Tokyo Port operating at full capacity, with delays continuing to worsen

Related company has stated that it faces operational restrictions at Tokyo Port, which is now operating at “full capacity.” Berth congestion at Tokyo and other Japanese ports has affected operations on intra-Asian routes and major east-west routes.

According to the company's sailing schedule last week, other ports in Japan are also facing congestion, with delays affecting intra-Asian and east-west routes.

Freight forwarders have pointed out that the delays at Tokyo and other Japanese ports are mainly caused by the pre-holiday cargo peak. Additionally, these ports will be closed from December 27th until they reopen on January 6th.

Busan and Manila Port were affected

Busan, Manila, and Vietnam's Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City have also experienced service disruptions and schedule delays due to port congestion.

A logistics company related to the situation stated that due to the clustering of ships and late arrivals from previous ports, the waiting time to anchor at Busan Port is about two days.

The Executive Assistant to the Philippine Minister of Transportation stated that it is expected that 3 million people will go to the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), and 4 million people will go to the terminals, ports, and seaports, with severe congestion lasting until next month.