Ports

Asian Port Congestion Drives Record Capacity Deployments During Golden Week

Carriers deployed unprecedented capacity on transpacific and Asia-Europe routes during this year's Golden Week holiday period, according to Sea-Intelligence analysis. Typhoon-related congestion at Asian loading ports caused vessel bunching, triggering consecutive double sailings that offset traditional blank sailings carriers typically schedule during the holiday downturn. Double sailings occur when delayed vessels from one week depart alongside the following week's scheduled service, effectively doubling departure frequencies. The Asia-US west coast trade deployed 393,000 teu in weekly capacity during weeks 40-42, compared to the sub-300,000 teu normally seen during this period. Historical data from 2012-2019 showed Golden Week capacity typically declined 8% on transpacific lanes. This year's record deployment reflects the compounding effects of weather disruptions overwhelming planned capacity reductions.