Chinese Ports Face Worst Congestion in History During 2026 Spring Festival, Supply Chains Under Pressure, Companies Accelerate Multi-Channel Resilience Strategies Published: February 13, 2026 Sources: China Water Transport Network, Port Circle, SEKO Logistics, TCF International I. Port Congestion Overview: Unprecedented Gridlock, Core Hubs Under Severe Stress Ahead of the 2026 Chinese New Year, China’s major coastal export ports have encountered the worst congestion on record, with key hubs in South, East, and North China plunging into an extreme state of yard saturation, booking shortages, truck gridlock, and widespread rollovers, putting foreign trade supply chains to their annual toughest test. South China Ports (Most Severe): Yantian Port: Laden yards fully saturated; daily handling quota raised from 13,000 to 15,...

Shenzhen Port Completes China’s First Green Methanol Bunkering, Accelerating Green Shipping Hub Development On the morning of January 21, 2026, under full safety supervision by Shenzhen Maritime Safety Administration and witnessed by nearly 100 representatives from global shipping, energy, certification bodies, and media, the “Daqing 268”—China’s first domestically built 7,500 DWT dual‑fuel methanol bunkering vessel (registered in Qianhai, Shenzhen)—successfully supplied 200 metric tons of green methanol to the international container vessel “COSCO Shipping Carnation” at Yantian Port, Shenzhen. This operation marks the first bunkering by China’s first domestically constructed methanol bunkering vessel and the first time a “Shenzhen‑built ship” has bunkered at Shenzhen Port. It of...

Maersk Orders Eight 18,600 TEU LNG Dual-Fuel Ultra-Large Container Vessels from New Times Shipbuilding A.P. Moller – Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, officially announced on February 9, 2026, that it has signed a shipbuilding agreement with China’s New Times Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. for eight ultra-large container vessels (ULCS) of 18,600 TEU each, totaling 148,800 TEU. These vessels form a new standardized series, with deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2030, marking Maersk’s first major newbuilding order in 2026. Vessel Specifications & Technical Highlights • Capacity: 18,600 TEU per vessel, 148,800 TEU for the entire series • Dimensions: 366m in length and 58.6m in breadth, more compact than the current 400m-class ULCS, balancing scale and port accessibility • Propulsion: Equipped with ...

Global Container Shipping 2026: Overcapacity Intensifies, Rates Under Pressure, Supply Chain Focus Shifts to Service Reliability Published: February 2, 2026  Sources: S&P Global, Drewry, Alphaliner, China Water Transport Network Global container shipping has entered a profound transition phase of severe overcapacity, falling freight rates, and service supremacy in early 2026. Under the triple pressure of massive new vessel deliveries, Red Sea/Suez Canal resumption releasing capacity, and weak global trade demand, the market supply-demand imbalance has worsened dramatically, putting all rates under sustained pressure. Meanwhile, Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs) have shifted their core priority from “low prices” to service reliability, transit time certainty, and supply chain resilience, marking a fundamental shift in the industry&r...