In recent periods, Qingdao Port has been grappling with acute congestion and protracted berthing delays, leading to instances of ad-hoc vessel holding, container rollovers, and complete vessel swaps. These disruptions have introduced substantial operational challenges across related sectors.

  Primary Contributing Factors:Impact of Military Exercises: Navigation warnings have been repeatedly issued in the areas of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Strait due to ongoing military operations, prohibiting vessel entry and disrupting regular shipping schedules.Carrier Schedule Adjustments: Multiple shipping lines are evaluating reductions in port calls at Qingdao as part of broader route optimization efforts aimed at maintaining schedule integrity.Berth Capacity Constraints: At QQCT’s Phase II terminal, Berth 83 faces inherent design limitations, Berth 79 is undergoing rail maintenance until November 10, and the mid-section of Berth 79880 is currently unavailable. These restrictions have resulted in Phase III Berths 80–81 accommodating two 399-meter vessels, leaving Berth 80 capable of mooring only 200-meter vessels and Berth 79 limited to 366-meter vessels.  

  Current Congestion Status:  Phase III: Vessels waiting 3–5 days, some exceeding 5.5 days.Phase IV: Vessels waiting 1–2 days, some exceeding 3 days .Phase V: Vessels waiting 1–3 days, some exceeding 3.5 days .

  Implications and Advisory:  The congestion at Qingdao Port is exerting ripple effects on neighboring ports such as Tianjin, Shanghai, and Ningbo, posing considerable challenges to regional logistics networks. Clients with time-sensitive shipments are advised to plan proactively and maintain communication with their freight forwarders to obtain the latest vessel scheduling updates.