Chinese Port Congestion Continues Following Typhoon Dolphin as Shipping Lines Reschedule Sailings

Chinese ports in Shanghai, Ningbo, and Yantian continue to suffer from severe congestion following the passage of Typhoon Dolphin, which halted loading and unloading operations for days during August 2026, leaving a container backlog that is difficult to clear quickly.

Major shipping carriers announced a number of cancelled sailings, known as "blank sailings," while others resorted to rearranging port calls, causing disruptions to delivery schedules on transpacific shipping routes.

Data from Sourcing Journal revealed that approximately 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) were affected by cargo delays due to the typhoon, as port operations accelerated to clear the accumulated backlog ahead of the autumn import season.

This congestion adds further pressure to supply networks recovering from the wave of vessel diversions in the Red Sea, making the third quarter of 2026 one of the most challenging quarters in terms of schedule reliability. Analysts warn that the remaining backlog could trigger a new surge in freight rates if it coincides with the start of the seasonal demand surge in September.

What do these terms mean?

Blank Sailing: A shipping company's decision to completely cancel a scheduled voyage without a replacement, used to rebalance capacity or minimize operational losses.

Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU): A unit of measurement equal to a 20-foot container, used to measure port capacity and cargo volume.

Port Congestion: An accumulation of vessels and containers at a port exceeding its capacity, lengthening wait times and disrupting schedules.