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Global container shipping crisis

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From: Asian Port Congestion Absorbs 8.5% of Global Fleet Capacity, Expected to Persist Into 2027

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On September 29, vessel delays driven by typhoons and operational bottlenecks in Asia absorbed 8.5 percent of the global containership fleet capacity. This effectively removed 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) from the market. In late September, average vessel waiting times reached 83 hours in Shanghai and 38 hours in Ningbo.

The current delays are temporarily masking a massive influx of new vessel deliveries that equal 40 percent of the existing fleet. Global schedule reliability was recorded at 49.9 percent in August following a stream of typhoons in Asia.

How the story developed

The crisis escalated on August 27, when global port congestion stranded a record 4.31 million TEU of container capacity worldwide, surpassing the absolute volume of the 2022 pandemic peak. The primary causes were severe typhoons in East Asia, which heavily impacted major Chinese export hubs, alongside ongoing Red Sea rerouting.

While the stranded volume exceeded the pandemic peak, it represented 12.6 percent of the current, larger global shipping fleet, which is lower than the 15.7 percent peak recorded in 2022. At that time, the delays removed 1.7 million TEU of effective capacity and pushed freight rates up by 156 percent.

Global containership capacity absorbed by delays has surged to 8.5%, far above the 2.2% historical average.From: Asian Port Congestion Absorbs 8.5% of Global Fleet Capacity, Expected to Persist Into 2027 ·

Disruptions compounded into the following month due to Red Sea diversions, Asian typhoons, and localized port strikes. On September 26, global container shipping schedule reliability was reported to have fallen for a third consecutive month, dropping to 29 percent in August from 33 percent in July.

During this period, the Far East to Europe trade lane experienced a drop in on-time performance to just 6 percent. Average vessel delays globally increased from 4.2 days to 5.1 days, with Maersk remaining the most reliable major carrier at a 51 percent on-time performance.

On-time performance has dropped while average vessel delays have increased globally.From: Global Container Shipping Reliability Collapses to 29% Amid Compounding Disruptions ·

What to watch

  • Analysts project the congestion will take seven to ten months to clear, persisting into the 2027 Chinese New Year.

Charts, maps and images

While absolute congestion volumes have surpassed 2022 levels, they represent a smaller percentage of today's larger global fleet.From: Global Container Port Congestion Reaches 4.3 Million TEU, Surpassing COVID-19 Peak ·
The global shipping network is facing simultaneous pressure from weather events, geopolitical conflict, and drought.From: Global Container Port Congestion Reaches 4.3 Million TEU, Surpassing COVID-19 Peak ·
Illustration: A continuous stream of typhoons in the Pacific has severely disrupted berthing schedules, driving global schedule reliability below 50%.From: Asian Port Congestion Absorbs 8.5% of Global Fleet Capacity, Expected to Persist Into 2027 ·
Successive typhoons in East Asia have forced repeated terminal closures, creating massive cargo backlogs.From: Global Container Port Congestion Reaches 4.3 Million TEU, Surpassing COVID-19 Peak ·

Timeline

September 2026

  1. Asian Port Congestion Absorbs 8.5% of Global Fleet Capacity, Expected to Persist Into 2027
  2. Global Container Shipping Reliability Collapses to 29% Amid Compounding Disruptions

August 2026

  1. Global Container Port Congestion Reaches 4.3 Million TEU, Surpassing COVID-19 Peak