Sea-Intelligence said on 23 September 2026 that scheduled Asia to North Europe capacity across the four-week Golden Week period totals 1.50 million TEU, up 27% on last year and about 60% above the pre-pandemic average. Golden Week itself shows a 63% year-on-year rise, and the week after 39%.
No blank sailings are planned for those two weeks. Sea-Intelligence said this reflects severe congestion in Asian ports rather than carrier strategy: delayed ships are bunching with regular departures, creating 12 double sailings.
Once the backlog clears, lower exports during factory closures and extra capacity from Suez routings could leave too much space and force late voyage cancellations. China's National Day holiday runs from 1 to 7 October.
Sources
- Sea-Intelligence: Golden Week capacity distortions (opens in a new tab)
- FreshPlaza: Asia-Europe container capacity rises 27% ahead of October disruption (opens in a new tab)
A summary of the public sources above, checked when it was published. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.