September 17, 2025
With the National Day Golden Week approaching, the global shipping market is experiencing a wave of sailing suspensions. Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, and others have successively announced plans, resulting in a sharp increase in sailing suspensions, with some routes suspending operations for the entire year.
According to Drewry data, the number of suspended sailings in weeks 38-42 increased by 60% weekly (from 49 to 78), with even more suspensions expected on routes involving China. The suspensions in weeks 38-42 (September 15-October 19) account for 12% of the originally scheduled sailings (85 of 720 sailings), nearly half of which are on eastbound transpacific routes. 65% of the cancellations are concentrated in weeks 40-41, which coincide with the National Day holiday. Maersk has suspended its Asia-US West Coast TP9 service until the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, while Hapag-Lloyd has terminated its Asia-US West Coast WC6 service. Freight rates diverged across the four major ocean routes in September: rates on the US West Coast and US East Coast routes rose 8.3% and 7.6%, respectively, while those on the European and Mediterranean routes plummeted 12.2% and 11.8%, with the SCFI index falling to 1398.11 points. This year, the concept of peak and off-season shipping has been overturned. Tariff disruptions in the first half of the year brought the peak season forward, and without a peak shipment before National Day, subsequent freight rate rebounds are unlikely.
