Severe Container Shortage At Several Chinese Ports

We recently reported that widespread capacity issues have returned for ocean freight services from Asia, which has now escalated further in some Chinese origin ports due to severe container shortages.

Across the board, current market conditions are not dissimilar to the period that followed the pandemic, with a particular shortage of 40’ HC containers from China and carriers reporting they are running out of equipment.

This had lead to major disruption at several ports in Northern China and is significantly impacting booking availability. In many cases, carriers are having to wait for vessel arrivals to discharge empty containers and turn them around immediately for export.

The equipment shortage is being felt hardest at Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao and Tianjin, while the port of Yantian in the south has similar issues. Coupled with congestion at Shanghai, vessel waiting times at the port are reported to be 3-14 days, which is wreaking havoc with schedules.

Inevitably, there will be some disruption to services while the situation continues and rates are once more rising steeply.

The Atlantic Pacific team are working tirelessly to secure space in very challenging conditions, but request that customers book early to avoid booking delays.