Why Shipments from China Are Leaving Late — and What It Means for Your Orders

Over the past two months, a large share of container vessels leaving China have not departed on their published schedules. This is not limited to one carrier or one route: in August 2026, only 49.9% of container vessels worldwide arrived on time, the lowest level since September 2022, according to Sea-Intelligence. Late vessels arrived on average 6.81 days behind schedule, the longest delay since March 2022. The consultancy identified severe port congestion in Asia as the main driver.

What is causing the delays

Typhoon disruptions at China's largest ports. July to September is typhoon season, and seven typhoons had made landfall in China by early September. Ports usually scale back operations ahead of a storm and need additional days to clear the backlog afterwards. When Typhoon Saudel made landfall on 26 August, Ningbo suspended operations for a cumulative 78 hours, while Shanghai's Yangshan and Waigaoqiao terminals lost 54 and 48 hours respectively (Kuehne+Nagel).

Vessels queuing at Shanghai and Ningbo. By early September, average berth waiting times reached about 5.5 days at Shanghai, with some terminals exceeding 9 days. Around 135 vessels were waiting off Shanghai and roughly 100 off Ningbo (ICIS, citing Shipxy data). Sea-Intelligence reported that only 21% of ships arrived on schedule at Shanghai in July, and 34.6% at Ningbo.

Peak season volumes and the Golden Week holiday. August and September are China's traditional export peak. The National Day "Golden Week" holiday (1–7 October) then closed many factories while terminals were still working through the backlog, so cargo that missed a September vessel is now competing for space on post-holiday sailings.

Cancelled and skipped sailings. To recover their timetables, carriers have been cancelling sailings ("blank sailings") and omitting port calls. Drewry counted 47 cancelled sailings out of 729 scheduled between weeks 37 and 41 (about 6%), and some vessels skipped Shanghai entirely. Cargo on a cancelled or skipped call is typically rolled to the next available vessel.

Global knock-on effects. Limits on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the after-effects of Red Sea rerouting continue to unsettle networks. Linerlytica estimated that more than 4.3 million TEU of capacity, or 12.6% of the global fleet, was waiting to berth in early September, and congestion has also built up at destination ports such as Rotterdam, where yards have been running 85–90% full.

Impact on freight rates

Tight effective capacity has kept rates on some routes high. Drewry's World Container Index stood at US$4,434 per 40-ft container on 1 October 2026. Shanghai–New York was assessed at US$10,428 and Shanghai–Los Angeles at US$7,835, with transpacific rates at their highest since mid-2022. Asia–Europe has softened, with Shanghai–Rotterdam at US$3,399 after twelve consecutive weekly declines.

What this means for international buyers

Expect departure dates to slip. A booking confirmed for a specific vessel may be rolled by one or more weeks, and transit times can stretch further at transshipment hubs. Check documentary deadlines. For letter-of-credit shipments, the latest shipment date and expiry date should allow for possible rollovers; amending an L/C in advance is far easier than after a vessel is missed. Order earlier for seasonal demand. For crop protection products tied to a planting season, we recommend placing orders three to four weeks earlier than usual so that product arrives before application windows open. Hazardous cargo needs more lead time. Many agrochemicals ship as dangerous goods, which are accepted on fewer sailings, so space is harder to recover once a booking is rolled. Plan for destination charges. Bunching of late vessels can lead to congestion and demurrage or detention charges at the discharge port.

How Sinocropchem is responding

Our logistics team is monitoring carrier schedules and port conditions daily, booking space earlier, and spreading shipments across multiple carriers where possible. We notify customers promptly when a vessel is rolled or delayed and propose alternatives where they exist. Congestion is expected to ease gradually once the post-holiday backlog clears, but schedules are likely to remain less predictable than usual for the coming weeks.

If you have orders planned for the coming months, please contact your Sinocropchem representative to review shipping timelines and documentation requirements together.