If you’re shipping cargo out of China right now, you’ve probably felt it — containers can’t get in, costs are climbing, and schedules are all over the place.
As we enter August, the backlog from Typhoon Bavi still hasn’t cleared, and peak season cargo is pouring in. The six major container ports — Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou — have been stuck in a cycle of “ships waiting for berths, cargo waiting for containers, containers waiting for yard space” for nearly a month.
Shanghai and Ningbo: 5 to 8-Day Waits
Let’s start with the numbers.
Since late July, waiting times at Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao terminals stretched to 5-8 days, while the Yangshan port area saw waits of around 8 days. According to Hapag-Lloyd data, the longest berth waiting time at Yangshan Phase 3 hit 12 days. Non-alliance services at Yangshan saw waits of up to 144 hours (6 days).
At Ningbo-Zhoushan, popular routes averaged over 3 days of waiting, and the Meishan terminal’s yard utilization hit nearly 90%. Ningbo’s terminals were shut for nearly four days due to the typhoon, and queues stretched beyond three days after reopening.
Qingdao wasn’t spared either, with waiting times reaching 3 to 4 days.
Major carriers including Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, COSCO, and CMA CGM have issued notices urging shippers to allow sufficient buffer time in their logistics planning.
Drop-Off Fees: From 400 RMB to 6,000 RMB
When ports jam up, costs skyrocket.
According to feedback from multiple freight forwarders, drop-off fees in Shanghai have jumped from the normal 400-500 RMB per container to 1,000-2,000 RMB. Some peripheral yards with extreme capacity shortages have quoted as high as 4,000-6,000 RMB.
This isn’t a normal price adjustment — it’s a market imbalance. Container yards, trucking capacity, and cargo flow have all gone out of sync. Export containers pile up while vessels are delayed by weather, cargo can’t enter terminals, and shippers have nowhere to go but external yards — driving prices through the roof.
Yantian and Shekou: ETB-7 Rules
South China ports are tightening up too.
Yantian Port implemented ETB-7 gate-in rules starting July 27 — export laden containers can only be gated in within seven days of the vessel’s Estimated Time of Berthing (ETB). Containers outside this window are rejected at the gate. Daily laden container reservations are capped at 9,000 containers. Once the quota is used up, trucks have to wait outside. To accommodate urgent shipments, an ETB-4 priority channel opens daily from 6:00 to 10:00 AM.
Shekou terminals implemented similar restrictions starting August 3. Yantian has also added a 120% per-sailing container receipt cap — once a route hits the limit, container receipts are suspended immediately.
Shanghai Just Set a Record — But There’s Zero Buffer
After Typhoon Bavi passed, Shanghai Port showed strong recovery.
On August 1, the port handled 203,881 TEU in a single day — smashing the previous record.
But there’s a catch. With vessels arriving in clusters, peak season volumes, and weather uncertainties all converging, the port is running with almost no buffer. Any further storm closures could quickly trigger a vicious cycle: storm closures → vessel pile-ups → backlogs → more congestion.
Typhoon Dolphin Is Approaching — and There’s More
Just when ports were starting to clear backlogs, more typhoons are coming.
Typhoon Dolphin (the 13th named storm of 2026), now a severe typhoon, is moving toward the eastern coast of China. It’s expected to pass through the Ryukyu Islands on August 7 and enter the East China Sea, gradually approaching the eastern coast, bringing heavy rain to East China around August 9. According to the National Meteorological Center, Dolphin’s track is highly uncertain after it enters the East China Sea, with two main possible paths affecting China.
And that’s not all. Typhoon Whale (the 14th named storm) formed on August 5. Under the combined influence of Dolphin and Whale, winds of 6-7级 with gusts of 8-9级 are expected across much of the East China Sea and southeastern Yellow Sea, with winds reaching 8-11级 and gusts of 12-13级 in parts of the east-central East China Sea.
Forecasters expect the typhoon season is far from over. For Shanghai and Ningbo — already running at full capacity with tight yard space — another typhoon could disrupt their recovery and send everything back to square one.
What This Means for You
With port congestion and typhoon threats overlapping, here’s what shippers and forwarders should do:
Stay on top of port updates and weather forecasts. Typhoon paths can change quickly and directly impact port operations. ETB windows shift with vessel schedules, so your container timing needs to move with them.
Plan your shipments carefully. With Yantian under ETB-7 rules, containers loaded too early may not get into the port. Time your loading to match the vessel’s ETB window. Send delay warnings to overseas buyers and consider amending L/C cut-off dates if necessary.
Budget for higher costs. Drop-off fees are likely to stay elevated for weeks. Factor this into your pricing.
Consider alternatives. For time-sensitive cargo, evaluate air freight or rail-sea intermodal options.
Communicate early. Tell your customers about potential delays before they happen.
The Bottom Line
Port congestion, peak season volumes, and typhoon impacts are all converging at once. Shanghai just set a record, but the system has almost no buffer. Typhoon Dolphin is on its way — and the backlog hasn’t even cleared yet.
Plan ahead, build in buffer, and stay flexible — that’s what matters most right now.
Add WhatsApp to get free assistance with supplier qualification reviews.
Expert Contributor
Colton
CEO & Founder of Presou
Colton is a veteran in the logistics industry with over 10 years of experience. He leads Presou and its subsidiary Shenzhen Dayuanjun, focusing exclusively on heavy cargo solutions (>200kg/2CBM) across major Chinese ports to the USA, UAE, and Nigeria.
Shipping from China Delays: 8-Day Port Waits, Soaring Drop-Off Fees, and Typhoons Ahead
If you’re shipping cargo out of China right now, you’ve probably felt it — containers can’t get in, costs are climbing, and schedules are all over the place.
As we enter August, the backlog from Typhoon Bavi still hasn’t cleared, and peak season cargo is pouring in. The six major container ports — Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou — have been stuck in a cycle of “ships waiting for berths, cargo waiting for containers, containers waiting for yard space” for nearly a month.
Shanghai and Ningbo: 5 to 8-Day Waits
Let’s start with the numbers.
Since late July, waiting times at Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao terminals stretched to 5-8 days, while the Yangshan port area saw waits of around 8 days. According to Hapag-Lloyd data, the longest berth waiting time at Yangshan Phase 3 hit 12 days. Non-alliance services at Yangshan saw waits of up to 144 hours (6 days).
At Ningbo-Zhoushan, popular routes averaged over 3 days of waiting, and the Meishan terminal’s yard utilization hit nearly 90%. Ningbo’s terminals were shut for nearly four days due to the typhoon, and queues stretched beyond three days after reopening.
Qingdao wasn’t spared either, with waiting times reaching 3 to 4 days.
Major carriers including Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk, COSCO, and CMA CGM have issued notices urging shippers to allow sufficient buffer time in their logistics planning.
Drop-Off Fees: From 400 RMB to 6,000 RMB
When ports jam up, costs skyrocket.
According to feedback from multiple freight forwarders, drop-off fees in Shanghai have jumped from the normal 400-500 RMB per container to 1,000-2,000 RMB. Some peripheral yards with extreme capacity shortages have quoted as high as 4,000-6,000 RMB.
This isn’t a normal price adjustment — it’s a market imbalance. Container yards, trucking capacity, and cargo flow have all gone out of sync. Export containers pile up while vessels are delayed by weather, cargo can’t enter terminals, and shippers have nowhere to go but external yards — driving prices through the roof.
Yantian and Shekou: ETB-7 Rules
South China ports are tightening up too.
Yantian Port implemented ETB-7 gate-in rules starting July 27 — export laden containers can only be gated in within seven days of the vessel’s Estimated Time of Berthing (ETB). Containers outside this window are rejected at the gate. Daily laden container reservations are capped at 9,000 containers. Once the quota is used up, trucks have to wait outside. To accommodate urgent shipments, an ETB-4 priority channel opens daily from 6:00 to 10:00 AM.
Shekou terminals implemented similar restrictions starting August 3. Yantian has also added a 120% per-sailing container receipt cap — once a route hits the limit, container receipts are suspended immediately.
Shanghai Just Set a Record — But There’s Zero Buffer
After Typhoon Bavi passed, Shanghai Port showed strong recovery.
On August 1, the port handled 203,881 TEU in a single day — smashing the previous record.
But there’s a catch. With vessels arriving in clusters, peak season volumes, and weather uncertainties all converging, the port is running with almost no buffer. Any further storm closures could quickly trigger a vicious cycle: storm closures → vessel pile-ups → backlogs → more congestion.
Typhoon Dolphin Is Approaching — and There’s More
Just when ports were starting to clear backlogs, more typhoons are coming.
Typhoon Dolphin (the 13th named storm of 2026), now a severe typhoon, is moving toward the eastern coast of China. It’s expected to pass through the Ryukyu Islands on August 7 and enter the East China Sea, gradually approaching the eastern coast, bringing heavy rain to East China around August 9. According to the National Meteorological Center, Dolphin’s track is highly uncertain after it enters the East China Sea, with two main possible paths affecting China.
And that’s not all. Typhoon Whale (the 14th named storm) formed on August 5. Under the combined influence of Dolphin and Whale, winds of 6-7级 with gusts of 8-9级 are expected across much of the East China Sea and southeastern Yellow Sea, with winds reaching 8-11级 and gusts of 12-13级 in parts of the east-central East China Sea.
Forecasters expect the typhoon season is far from over. For Shanghai and Ningbo — already running at full capacity with tight yard space — another typhoon could disrupt their recovery and send everything back to square one.
What This Means for You
With port congestion and typhoon threats overlapping, here’s what shippers and forwarders should do:
Stay on top of port updates and weather forecasts. Typhoon paths can change quickly and directly impact port operations. ETB windows shift with vessel schedules, so your container timing needs to move with them.
Plan your shipments carefully. With Yantian under ETB-7 rules, containers loaded too early may not get into the port. Time your loading to match the vessel’s ETB window. Send delay warnings to overseas buyers and consider amending L/C cut-off dates if necessary.
Budget for higher costs. Drop-off fees are likely to stay elevated for weeks. Factor this into your pricing.
Consider alternatives. For time-sensitive cargo, evaluate air freight or rail-sea intermodal options.
Communicate early. Tell your customers about potential delays before they happen.
The Bottom Line
Port congestion, peak season volumes, and typhoon impacts are all converging at once. Shanghai just set a record, but the system has almost no buffer. Typhoon Dolphin is on its way — and the backlog hasn’t even cleared yet.
Plan ahead, build in buffer, and stay flexible — that’s what matters most right now.
Add WhatsApp to get free assistance with supplier qualification reviews.
Colton
CEO & Founder of PresouColton is a veteran in the logistics industry with over 10 years of experience. He leads Presou and its subsidiary Shenzhen Dayuanjun, focusing exclusively on heavy cargo solutions (>200kg/2CBM) across major Chinese ports to the USA, UAE, and Nigeria.
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