It's too much! All major ports across the country are completely overcrowded!
Release time：
2026-02-12
Source：
As the Spring Festival approaches, major ports across the country have collectively faced a "crisis of congestion", with logistics costs soaring and the risk of losing containers rising sharply.
From East China to South China—including key coastal hub ports and major regional gateways—the core container terminals, namely Shanghai Port, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Yantian Port, Shekou Port, and Nansha Port, are experiencing severe congestion. Container yards are operating at or near full capacity; berth allocation has become increasingly constrained; and shipping lines, under mounting pressure to meet pre-holiday export demand, have resorted to overbooking vessel space—leading to widespread container roll-overs. Concurrently, inland transportation costs (e.g., trucking fees) and port-related storage charges continue to rise. As the Spring Festival holiday approaches, exporters face heightened challenges in securing timely cargo cut-offs and vessel space bookings. The traditional “pre-holiday shipping window” has thus evolved into a high-stakes logistical race against time.
Port of Shanghai
The outer Gaoqiao area of Shanghai Port has become a severely affected area, with the backlog of heavy containers exceeding 4,000. The port has implemented a strict reservation system, prohibiting access without a reservation. The cost of towing containers has increased by approximately 80% compared to usual, the probability of container discharge is about 22%, and the proportion of shipping companies overloading the shipping holds is 25%. More importantly, since February 6th, the Shanghai Port has adjusted its operation rules. The opening time of the port is based on the actual arrival time of the ships, further compressing the window for container loading and entry.
This means that, following the traditional "wait until the port opens before loading containers" approach, it is now completely unable to meet the shipping schedule. All goods must be packed in advance and be ready to be declared and enter the port at any time. Otherwise, there is a high risk of missing the shipment opportunity.
South China Port
The congestion situation at the ports in southern China, such as Yantian, Shekou and Nansha Port, has not improved either. Compared with previous industry reports, the situation is even more severe.
The heavy container storage at Yantian Port is almost fully occupied. Every day, about 1,500 return container numbers are claimed within an hour. The trailer rental fee has risen from about 1,800 yuan per container on a daily basis to 5,000 - 5,500 yuan per container. The probability of container dumping is approximately 40%, and the proportion of shipping companies overbooking the shipping space is about 60%.
The SCT and CCT docks at Shekou Port are overcrowded, with almost no available slots available. The Chiwan Port has issued a "warning of excessive revenue from routes and suspension of document processing". The trailer rental fee has skyrocketed by 200%, the rate of unloading containers has reached 40%, and the proportion of shipping companies overloading the cargo holds is 40%.
The Nansha Port is currently the most severely affected area. The usage rate of the second and third phase terminal storage areas exceeds 95%, and the queues of trailers often exceed 6 hours. Since January 29th, the ETA-5 new regulation has been implemented, only accepting heavy containers that were loaded within 5 days before departure, and implementing the "three consecutive penalties" strict control measures. The trailer fee has increased by approximately 300%, the probability of unloading containers is as high as 55%, and the proportion of shipping companies overloading the cargo holds is 60%.
Industry experts believe that the concentrated shipment before the holiday, the excessive allocation of shipping space by shipping companies (on some routes, it exceeds the port's carrying capacity by 40% - 60%), and the tight availability of trailer transportation capacity are the main causes of this round of congestion. Currently, the time for goods to travel from the factory to the ship has extended from 5-7 days to 10-14 days. Shippers need to plan the shipment schedule in advance to prevent the risks of unloading of containers and costs.
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