Chinese National Day or “Golden Week” will be celebrated October 1st to the 8th. This week-long holiday celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China and can put a delay in your supply chain if you fail to plan accordingly.
Demand in China typically declines during this national holiday as people take off work and engage in “touristy” activities throughout the country. This time allows people to visit their long-distance family while also boosting the domestic tourism market.
Ocean carriers often pull as many as 100,000 TEUs from Asian routes during the week, which is equivalent to about 40% of average weekly capacity in the region. Some carriers will postpone sailing dates, while others skip at least one trip over the holiday. The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index tends to be suspended as well, starting a week before the celebration starts.
Plan Ahead to Mitigate Risk
We will do everything we can to reroute and modify your shipping schedules, but preparing your shipments earlier will help avoid any capacity and congestion issues. Carriers, shippers, and suppliers should all plan accordingly to ensure that there is minimal interruption to their supply chain, if possible.
Our Chinese offices will be closed that week, but don’t fret – our Miami headquarters are well-equipped to handle all our customers’ questions during the off time.
