Port Congestion Worsens Ahead of Chinese New Year, Container Terminal Reservations Extremely Hard to Secure

As the 2026 Chinese New Year approaches, major ports in South China and Ningbo Port are once again experiencing a pre-holiday congestion peak. Despite the unusual phenomenon of "stagnant freight rates and a sharp surge in blank sailings" in the maritime shipping market, terminals including Yantian, Shekou and Nansha have all seen a tight situation of difficult pick-up and return container reservations, or even extreme scarcity of available reservation slots, starting from January 28.

Reservations at Yantian Port have become exceptionally hard to secure since January 28. According to feedback from freight forwarders, the port releases only about 1,500 container return slots each time, which are snapped up within an hour, leading to notable long queues of trucks forming outside the port.

Shekou Port also entered a "slot rush" phase starting from January 28. The terminal is operating at full capacity, and any delay in making a reservation results in no available slots. Chiwan Container Terminal Co., Ltd. has issued an early warning, highlighting operational pressures caused by "overbooking of shipping routes, which has made document processing unavailable".

Nansha Port is suffering the most severe congestion, with its Phase II and III terminals already operating at full capacity as early as mid-to-late January. In addition to the shortage of reservation slots, the terminal has implemented two key control measures: cutting the gate-in time for export laden containers from 7 days to 5 days prior to the vessel's estimated arrival date; and strictly enforcing a three-strike penalty system starting from January 28 – a driver who cancels a container pick-up once will be barred from entry for 3 days, twice for 7 days, and if the affiliated company accumulates 3 cancellations, all its vehicles will be prohibited from entering for 7 days.

Ningbo Port is also currently operating at full capacity, implementing a fully appointment-based port entry system, with the average berthing waiting time remaining at a high level.

Analysis of Congestion Causes

The large-scale congestion is mainly attributed to the following factors:

1.The concentrated arrival of the traditional pre-holiday cargo shipping peak ahead of Chinese New Year

2.Tight shipping capacity caused by a sharp surge in blank sailings by some shipping companies

3.Shippers rushing to ship cargo in a concentrated manner to avoid delays during the Chinese New Year holiday

4.Port handling capacity having reached its maximum limit

Recommendations for Response

In view of the current situation, shippers are advised to:

1.Plan cargo shipping schedules in advance and set aside a buffer period of at least 5-7 days

2.Verify shipping schedules accurately to avoid cargo detention due to information errors

3.Arrange container loading in a rational manner and conduct operations during off-peak hours

4.Strictly abide by the reservation rules of each terminal to avoid penalties

The port congestion is expected to persist until the Chinese New Year. Relevant enterprises are advised to make thorough preparations to avoid incurring additional costs due to terminal control measures or failed reservation attempts.

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