Chinese New Year comes early next year, being with us on the 22nd January, therefore planning to avoid the two-week shutdown that follows may be something to start considering now.

Having not got to the end of November, its unusual to be thinking about close off times for Chinese New Year, but the picture for 2023 is looking considerably different to last year and the following could impact the flow this time around.

  • There are only three weeks in January before the annual celebrations are due to commence and we begin the ‘Year of the Rabbit’.
  • China still hasn’t got a grip on its Covid outbreaks, with various degrees of restrictions being applied on a sporadic basis that have an impact on factories, ports, airports and transport on a regional level.
  • Reduction in global demand has led to blanked sailings and service suspensions. This could become even more apparent during the next few weeks, with vessel reliability potentially an issue.

Therefore, planning ahead could be critical this time around, the above may be best avoided by trying to bring more urgent orders forward to depart China during December, or perhaps the first week of January.

Of course, we will endeavour to ensure that any bookings around Chinese New Year are moved as smoothly as possible. Should you require any further information regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Westbound team.

If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.