Congestion at major container ports across Asia could persist through 2027, reducing available shipping capacity and pushing freight rates higher.
Maritime analysts said around 8.5% of the global containership fleet is currently tied up or affected by port congestion, equivalent to an estimated 3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of capacity.
The situation has reportedly worsened due to successive typhoons and operational bottlenecks that continue to delay vessels and disrupt cargo flows.
According to Sea-Intelligence, it could take seven to 10 months for congestion to return to relatively low levels.
The prolonged disruption could affect the next peak cargo season and potentially extend into the Chinese New Year in February 2027.
Meanwhile, several intra-Asia freight rates have reached record levels as shipping capacity remains constrained.
