Global Port Congestion Breaks Pandemic Peak

The global shipping industry has ushered in a major shift in 2026. Global port congestion has exceeded the pandemic peak, and multiple overlapping factors have disrupted the international shipping supply chain, profoundly impacting global foreign trade shipments, logistics turnover and freight trends.

According to the latest data from Linerlytica, the global container vessel capacity waiting for berthing has reached 4.3 million TEU, surpassing the pandemic peak of 4 million TEU in 2022. A large number of anchored vessels have caused severe schedule disruptions and low container turnover efficiency. The shrinking available shipping space has become a core factor driving the sharp rise in ocean freight rates and vessel charter rates.

It is worth noting that only the absolute congestion scale has hit a new high, while the relative pressure is lower than the pandemic level. The current global container fleet scale has expanded to 34.4 million TEU, with congested capacity accounting for 12.6%. In contrast, the congestion ratio once reached 15.7% in 2022 when the global fleet was only 25.3 million TEU, thanks to the continuous delivery of new vessels in recent years.

North Asia is the core area of this round of congestion, accounting for nearly half of the global congested capacity. Affected by successive typhoons and tropical storms, major Chinese ports including Shanghai and Ningbo suspended operations repeatedly, resulting in massive vessel backlogs. After port resumptions, concentrated vessel arrivals have greatly prolonged berthing waiting time.

Statistics show that North Asia’s congested capacity exceeds 2.2 million TEU. The Shanghai Port once had 139 waiting vessels and Ningbo Port 77, both hitting the highest level since 2025. The berthing waiting time for some routes at Shanghai Yangshan Port has extended to 5-6 days, and some voyages even need 7-8 days.

Port delays have formed a chain reaction. Delayed vessel berthing and unloading disrupt subsequent port calls, container allocation and return schedules, spreading congestion pressure across the global shipping network and increasing supply chain instability.

There are two mainstream sets of congestion data in the industry with different statistical calibers. Linerlytica calculates the total anchored vessel capacity (4.3 million TEU), while Sea-Intelligence focuses on effective capacity loss (1.7 million TEU). Despite the gap, the trend is consistent: the current global schedule reliability is only 60%-65%, far lower than the pre-pandemic level of 70%-80%. The average vessel delay has extended from 3-4 days to 5-5.5 days, bringing unprecedented schedule uncertainty.

Sustained port congestion has effectively removed massive valid capacity from the market. Despite continuous new vessel deliveries, schedule disorder and port backlogs cannot be relieved in the short term, keeping shipping space tight globally. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) has risen to 3355 points, up 156% from the early stage of regional conflicts. The Platts container freight index reached USD 7,565 per 40ft container on August 21, hitting the highest level in 2026.

In addition to port congestion, Panama Canal capacity restrictions will further intensify global shipping pressure. Due to drought and insufficient rainfall, the canal authority has announced stricter traffic limits. Starting from September 3, the daily passage quota for Neopanamax locks will be 9, and Panamax locks 25. From September 15, the Panamax quota will drop to 23. Vessels without advance reservations will face extremely long waiting times, reducing transoceanic transit efficiency and hindering schedule recovery.

For shippers, forwarders and foreign trade enterprises, current risks go far beyond rising freight rates. Extended waiting time, frequent schedule delays, container dumping risks and poor transit connection have brought huge uncertainties to cargo delivery and order performance.

It is recommended that foreign trade and logistics practitioners arrange shipment plans in advance, reserve sufficient logistics buffer time, track port and vessel dynamics in real time, and adjust strategies flexibly to avoid supply chain risks and ensure stable order delivery.

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