Customer Advisory: Asia Port Congestion and Potential Ocean Network Disruptions

August25, 2026

Situation Overview

APL Logistics is monitoring increasing congestion across several major ports in Asia that is impacting vessel schedules, terminal operations, and overall ocean network reliability. According to carrier updates, growing seasonal export volumes, vessel bunching, and recent severe weather events in East Asia have contributed to extended berthing delays and reduced terminal productivity at key export and transshipment hubs.

Recent industry reports also indicate that successive typhoon activity in China has disrupted port operations, leading to vessel backlogs, longer anchorage waiting times, and increased pressure across regional shipping networks. Several ocean carriers have responded by adjusting vessel rotations, omitting selected port calls, and implementing schedule recovery measures.

Current Conditions

Carrier and industry reports indicate congestion is affecting multiple gateways across Asia, including major ports in China. Current operational impacts include:

• Extended vessel waiting times at anchorage before berthing.
• Reduced terminal productivity due to congestion and weather-related disruptions.
• Increased vessel bunching across Asia-Europe, Transpacific, and intra-Asia services.
• Port omissions and changes to vessel port rotations to support schedule recovery efforts.
• Potential cargo rollovers to subsequent sailings where vessel capacity is constrained.

Specific carrier advisories note congestion and delays at ports including Shanghai, Ningbo, and Qingdao, while operational conditions may vary by terminal and carrier. Shanghai has experienced the most significant delays, with waiting times reported at several terminals and carriers adjusting service rotations to mitigate network disruption.

Potential Impact to Shipments

Customers moving cargo from Asia should anticipate the following potential impacts:

• Longer transit times resulting from vessel berthing delays.
• Delays in cargo loading, discharge, and transshipment activity.
• Changes to published vessel schedules.
• Port omissions or diversions to alternate gateways.
• Increased risk of rolled bookings on heavily affected services.
• Reduced schedule reliability across select ocean trade lanes.

The extent of disruption may vary by origin, destination, carrier, and service string.

APL Logistics Response

APL Logistics is actively monitoring developments across affected ports and ocean carrier networks. Our teams remain in close communication with carrier partners and regional operations teams to identify mitigation opportunities and minimize impacts wherever possible.

We recommend customers:

• Review inventory and replenishment plans for time-sensitive shipments.
• Build additional lead time into supply chain planning where feasible.
• Maintain close communication with APL Logistics representatives regarding shipment status and potential contingency options.
• Monitor schedule updates and routing changes for cargo originating from or transiting through affected Asian ports.

Outlook

Congestion conditions remain fluid and may continue to evolve as carriers work through vessel backlogs and network imbalances. Operational recovery timelines will depend on factors including port productivity, carrier schedule adjustments, weather conditions, and cargo volume levels throughout the region.

APL Logistics will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as additional information becomes available.

For questions regarding specific shipments, please contact your APL Logistics representative.

_‍Sources

•  _{Asia Port Congestion_20260817 (Ocean Network Express advisory)}
• _{EXTERNAL China Port Congestion Update Potential Delays in North China Export Shipments.msg (Shipco advisory)‍}
• _{RE ONE Port Congestion in Asia Potential Network Disruptions}

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