A message on the UPS website, which reads “temporary service delays of up to one additional business day in transit time are to be expected for shipments from eastern and southern China mainland to the US and Americas until further notice”, sums up ongoing port delays throughout the region.
These reflect the status of the global system, with Linerlytica reporting that global port congestion was at a two-year high at the beginning of September.
“Berthing delays remain acute at the main Chinese ports, with Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian and Qingdao experiencing delays of up to two days due to high vessel traffic and bunching of arrivals.
“Although the congestion at Southeast Asian hubs has improved, ships arriving at Singapore, Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas are still experiencing delays of one to two days,” it says.
In June, it was reported that nearly 50% of all Asia-Europe westbound sailings had not departed on schedule due to congestion in Asian ports. According to Maersk, Asian exports are more impacted than imports by the ongoing situation in the Red Sea.
- Read the full article in our Freight Features edition on "Focus Far East."