Golden Week Blank Sailings: The Voyages That Disappeared
Golden Week Blank Sailings: The Voyages That Disappeared
Executive Summary
Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC have cut sailings between 28 September and 10 October.
Overview
Here's the thing. Maersk cut three Asia-Europe departures: AE15 from Qingdao on 2026-09-28, AE12 from Ningbo on 2026-10-08, and AE1 from Shanghai on 2026-10-10. On the transpacific side, TP8 sails from Busan on 2026-10-09 and TP12 from Ningbo on 2026-10-09. Both are cancelled eastbound, and the return legs slip to 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-18.
Hapag-Lloyd followed with six.
WC2 from Shanghai on 2026-10-10. AA7 from Ningbo on 2026-10-01, vessel Wan Hai A13. US2 from Ningbo on 2026-10-07. NE2 from Shanghai on 2026-10-10, plus SE3 from Qingdao on 2026-09-28 and SE1 from Ningbo on 2026-10-08.
MSC confirmed six of its own: Orient GO640N and Pearl GO641N on the US West Coast, and Jade GJ639W, Swan FW640W, Britannia QB640W and Lion GL641W to Europe and the Mediterranean.
None of these are permanent line closures. They are single blank sailings, seventeen of them across the three carriers, and the disruption runs 13 days from 2026-09-28 to 2026-10-10.
Key Details
Put simply, it is capacity management. Factories across China close for eight days, export volume drops for roughly two weeks, and a carrier would rather pull one sailing than cross an ocean half empty. Terminal staffing shrinks at the same time, so holding the schedule only builds yard congestion. The 2026 window is no different from 2025 in that respect.
It is not a demand signal.
Bottom line: the carriers are protecting the rate. Every one of the three notices says customers can keep booking as normal, and they mean it, but there is less space behind that sentence than there was last week.
Read the notice that way and the pricing makes sense.
Looking Ahead
Pull every booking with an ETD between 2026-09-28 and 2026-10-10. Check the voyage code, not the service name. The service name still shows up in the system long after the departure is gone.
Watch out for cut-off times.
Customs and terminals move cut-offs earlier around the holiday. Some terminals stop accepting gate-ins altogether, and truck slots get tight. Get the box in before the break if you possibly can.
Frankly, one week of buffer is cheap. A blank sailing rolls your container to the next voyage, that voyage is usually already full, and the delay runs 7 to 10 days once holiday congestion is added on top.
Book early. Ask twice.
Market Outlook
Expect capacity to stay tight through the first two weeks of October. Rates usually hold into the holiday and only soften once factories are back at full output in late October, so do not quote post-holiday cargo on pre-holiday transit times.JETWAY Supply Chain is your execution partner on the ground in China — based in Tianjin, licensed as an NVOCC (MOT) and a member of CIFA, FIATA and WCA. We handle special cargo and compliance (dangerous goods, chemicals, batteries) across ocean, air, rail and road, and we pre-check your documents before the box is stuffed so your filing clears the first time. Send us your next booking and we will run the checks above against your sailing date. Request a quote.