Shanghai on‑time berthing falls to 12.2% after typhoon backlog

Market Context & Direct Impact

Typhoon backlogs have become a berth-scheduling problem, not just a weather problem. Sea-Intelligence data show Shanghai and Ningbo, China's two largest ports, saw schedule reliability fall to 12.2% and 16.9% in August, while Chinese container ports overall dropped to 23.9% from 35.8% the month before. Linerlytica said in early September that ships at the two ports were waiting up to 10 days to berth, with 3.92m TEU, about 11% of the global fleet, held up. For shippers in China, Japan and Southeast Asia, a booked sailing no longer guarantees a berthed box.

Clearance is under way, but the queue and freight rates have not eased. Maritime Executive reports Shanghai handled a record 5.1m TEU in September while recovering from three typhoons. Linerlytica still counted 114 vessels at anchor off Shanghai as of 10 October, with more than 629,000 TEU waiting. Dimerco expects Shanghai to stay heavily congested into mid-to-late October, with berthing waits above five days. Supply Chain Dive, citing Freightos, puts Asia to U.S. West Coast spot rates at US$8,322 per FEU as of 6 October, and says weather disruption is keeping fees elevated despite the Golden Week slowdown.

Core Executive Takeaways

• Berthing, not sailingShanghai's August schedule reliability of 12.2% means a confirmed vessel departure tells you little about when cargo will actually berth.
• Rates stay firmFreightos' US$8,322 per FEU Asia to U.S. West Coast spot level suggests holiday-period relief will not reach contract renewals soon.
• Empties are the chokeDimerco flags Yantian container availability pressure as intake restrictions limit empty releases, so equipment planning matters as much as berth planning.

Strategic Playbook

1. 1
   Set a berth-wait trigger

   Write a trigger at five days of berthing wait, the level Dimerco expects at Shanghai into late October, and pre-approve alternate gateways and cut-off changes with carriers and forwarders.

2. 2
   Lock equipment and inland slots

   Ask your forwarder for empty release and gate-in slot commitments at Shanghai and Yantian before peak, and agree a fallback plan for rolled cargo and omitted calls.

Filed 15:25 GMT, 20 October 2026, for the second edition of 20 Oct.
As agents only.

Sources

1. Only 12% of container ships berthed on time at Shanghai in AugustSeatrade Maritime, published 1 October 2026
2. Shanghai Moved a Staggering 5.1M TEU in September Recovering from TyphoonsMaritime Executive, published 17 October 2026
3. Berthing delay at congested Shanghai and Ningbo now hitting 10 daysThe Loadstar, published 1 September 2026
4. Golden Week slowdown may not be enough to ease Transpacific ocean ratesSupply Chain Dive, published 9 October 2026

Claims ledger: 9 facts and where each comes from

• Shanghai and Ningbo, the two largest ports in China, saw schedule reliability plummet to 12.2% and 16.9% respectively, per Sea-Intelligence's CEO Alan Murphy; the article covers August 2026.¹
• Chinese container ports' schedule reliability dropped to 23.9% in August from 35.8% in the previous month.¹
• Dimerco's October freight report says Shanghai is expected to remain heavily congested into mid-to-late October, with berthing waits above five days.¹
• Dimerco said Yantian faced container availability pressure as intake restrictions limit empty releases.¹
• Linerlytica estimated 3.92 million TEU, 11% of the global container shipping fleet, was tied up by the port logjams at Shanghai and Ningbo, with ships waiting 10 days to berth (report dated 1 September 2026).³
• Shanghai set a monthly record of 5.1M TEU in September while recovering from three typhoons.²
• Linerlytica listed 114 vessels at anchor off Shanghai as of 10 October, with 82 vessels on dock and over 629,000 TEU at anchor.²
• Spot rate per FEU from Asia to the U.S. West Coast was US$8,322 as of 6 October, and to the U.S. East Coast US$9,606 (Freightos figures, reported by Supply Chain Dive on 9 October 2026).⁴
• Freightos reported that weather-related disruptions are keeping freight fees elevated even though Golden Week usually brings relief for shippers.⁴

Every figure above is tied to a cited source that was checked on the day of filing. Found an error? Tell the desk.