China Golden Week Shipping Delays Expected in 2026

Freightos has identified an anticipated shipping disruption tied to China's Golden Week in 2026, a critical period when factory shutdowns and holiday schedules create severe capacity constraints in ocean freight markets. This annual phenomenon compounds existing supply chain pressures, as carriers reduce service frequency and shipper demand spikes ahead of and following the holiday period. Supply chain professionals managing Asia-to-global trade lanes face potential lead-time extensions, rate volatility, and allocation challenges during this window.

The significance of this forecast lies in its two-year visibility, allowing procurement and logistics teams time to recalibrate their planning assumptions. Golden Week—typically spanning late September through early October—historically disrupts container availability, increases freight rates, and creates booking bottlenecks. With early warning, shippers can implement tactical mitigation strategies such as accelerated pre-holiday shipments, increased safety stock in destination markets, or temporary sourcing diversification.

For supply chain leaders, this advisory underscores the importance of seasonal capacity modeling and the need to build Golden Week buffers into annual planning cycles. Organizations that fail to anticipate these recurring disruptions risk service-level failures, emergency freight premiums, and competitive disadvantages against better-prepared competitors.