Freight disruptions that started in 2026
16 events started in 2026; 8 are still ongoing as of 2026-11-08 (8 November 2026).
2 events share the top rating, severity 5 (Critical).
The most common types were labour action, security incident and weather stoppage, 4 events each.
August had the most starts, 7.
6 of the 16 events have a computed measured effect in public data.
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
Key facts
- Events
- 16
- Ongoing now
- 8
- Most severe
- 5 (Critical)
- Median recovery (measured events)
- 6 days
Month by month in 2026
Events by the month they started. Months with events link to the list below the strip.
- Jan1 event in January 2026
- Feb0 events in February 2026
- Mar2 events in March 2026
- Apr0 events in April 2026
- May0 events in May 2026
- Jun0 events in June 2026
- Jul3 events in July 2026
- Aug7 events in August 2026
- Sep3 events in September 2026
- Oct0 events in October 2026
- Nov0 events in November 2026
- Dec0 events in December 2026
- January 2026: Workers strike at Chittagong port over New Mooring Container Terminal lease
- March 2026: Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping during the Iran war; Drone attacks halt oil loadings at Ust-Luga and Primorsk
- July 2026: Panama Canal cuts Neopanamax draft and daily transit slots; Russia halts commercial shipping through the Kerch Strait; Houthi embargo on Saudi shipping and attacks at Bab el-Mandeb
- August 2026: River pilots stop work on the Parana corridor in Argentina; Record low water at Kaub restricts Rhine barge shipping; Typhoon Dolphin halts container terminals at Ningbo and Shanghai; Earthquake suspends container terminals at Colombia's Buenaventura port; Durban Gateway Terminal backlog follows terminal operating system cutover; Ver.di warning strikes halt container handling at German seaports; Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals
- September 2026: Typhoon Dujuan halts cargo calls at Yokohama and Tokyo Bay ports; Hurricane Polo restricts shipping at Mexican Pacific ports; Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike
Biggest measured moves
One lead figure per event, the current primary measurement with the largest absolute standardised score, ranked by that score. 5 of 6 shown.
Typhoon Dolphin halts container terminals at Ningbo and Shanghai · Weather stoppage, severity 3 (Significant), started 2026-08-07 (7 August 2026)
Port calls, Shanghai, 2026-08-07 (7 August 2026) to 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026): 19.8 calls per day against 92.2 expected (-78.5%, standardised score -7.5).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals · Weather stoppage, severity 3 (Significant), started 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026)
Port calls, Ningbo, 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026) to 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026): 12.3 calls per day against 49.7 expected (-75.2%, standardised score -5.1).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Typhoon Dujuan halts cargo calls at Yokohama and Tokyo Bay ports · Weather stoppage, severity 3 (Significant), started 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026)
Port calls, Yokohama, 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026) to 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026): 16.3 calls per day against 35.5 expected (-54.0%, standardised score -3.2).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Hurricane Polo restricts shipping at Mexican Pacific ports · Weather stoppage, severity 2 (Moderate), started 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026)
Port calls, Lazaro Cardenas, 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026) to 2026-09-25 (25 September 2026): 1.5 calls per day against 5.0 expected (-70.0%, standardised score -1.8).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
River pilots stop work on the Parana corridor in Argentina · Labour action, severity 4 (Severe), started 2026-08-01 (1 August 2026)
Port calls, Rosario, 2026-08-01 (1 August 2026) to 2026-08-04 (4 August 2026): 2.0 calls per day against 4.8 expected (-57.9%, standardised score -1.2).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Carried over from earlier years
2 events that started before 2026 and were still in force during it.
- EU ban on seaborne Russian crude and the G7 price cap take effect, started 2022-12-05 (5 December 2022), still ongoing.
- Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea divert traffic around Africa, started 2023-11-19 (19 November 2023), still ongoing.
Ended in 2026
8 events with an end date in 2026, whichever year they started.
- Workers strike at Chittagong port over New Mooring Container Terminal lease, started 2026-01-31 (31 January 2026), ended 2026-02-09 (9 February 2026).
- Drone attacks halt oil loadings at Ust-Luga and Primorsk, started 2026-03-25 (25 March 2026), ended 2026-04-04 (4 April 2026).
- River pilots stop work on the Parana corridor in Argentina, started 2026-08-01 (1 August 2026), ended 2026-08-04 (4 August 2026).
- Typhoon Dolphin halts container terminals at Ningbo and Shanghai, started 2026-08-07 (7 August 2026), ended 2026-08-11 (11 August 2026).
- Typhoon Saudel closes Ningbo and Shanghai container terminals, started 2026-08-26 (26 August 2026), ended 2026-08-28 (28 August 2026).
- Typhoon Dujuan halts cargo calls at Yokohama and Tokyo Bay ports, started 2026-09-20 (20 September 2026), ended 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026).
- Hurricane Polo restricts shipping at Mexican Pacific ports, started 2026-09-22 (22 September 2026), ended 2026-09-25 (25 September 2026).
- Italian port workers hold 24 hour national strike, started 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026), ended 2026-09-28 (28 September 2026).
By severity
| Severity | Events |
|---|---|
| 5 Critical | 2 |
| 4 Severe | 1 |
| 3 Significant | 7 |
| 2 Moderate | 5 |
| 1 Minor | 1 |
By type
| Type | Events |
|---|---|
| Labour action | 4 |
| Weather stoppage | 4 |
| Security incident | 4 |
| Drought restriction | 2 |
| Congestion episode | 1 |
| Terminal closure | 1 |
3 of 3 measured falls from 2026 had recovered by the last day of data in this build. Recovery time for every event.