Typhoons Push Intra-Asia Freight Rates to Multi-Year Highs — India Importers of Chinese and Vietnamese Goods Should Plan for Delays

Container freight on Asia's short-sea and feeder routes has spiked, and Indian importers are feeling it. Weather — a run of typhoons across East and Southeast Asia — has closed and congested major ports in China, tightened capacity and driven up spot rates on lanes that feed India's imports of components, electronics, chemicals and consumer goods. As of early September 2026, Drewry's Intra-Asia Container Index (IACI) had risen for a fifth consecutive week. This is a corridor alert for importers on the China-to-India and Vietnam-to-India lanes: plan for delays and higher costs into the festival season.

What Is Happening

Drewry's IACI rose 9% in the week to 3 September 2026 to $1,312 per 40ft container, the fifth straight weekly increase, with typhoon-related disruption tightening available capacity. Typhoon Saudel disrupted port operations, and Shanghai and Ningbo were closed during 26–28 August, adding to congestion built up by a series of earlier storms. Vessel waiting times climbed sharply — reported at around 98 hours in Shanghai and 54 hours in Ningbo in the peak week.

For India specifically, the Shanghai–Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) spot rate rose about 26% to roughly $2,970 per 40ft, and vessel waiting time at JNP was reported to have risen to around 24 hours (from about 14 hours a week earlier). Port operations in Vietnam, South Korea and Japan were also disrupted by the storms, and intra-Asia air-freight demand rose as shippers sought alternatives — all against the backdrop of rising demand into India's festival season.

Why This Matters

Intra-Asia lanes are the arteries for India's imported inputs: electronics and components, machinery parts, chemicals, and finished consumer goods sourced from China and Vietnam. When Chinese ports close and waiting times balloon, the effects ripple down the schedule — missed feeder connections, rolled cargo, equipment shortages and surcharges — and land in India as later arrivals and higher landed costs. The timing is awkward: demand typically climbs ahead of India's festival season, so buffers are thin exactly when reliability drops.

Who's Affected

Indian importers sourcing from China and Vietnam are the most exposed, especially those on tight production or retail-replenishment schedules. Freight forwarders and NVOCCs face capacity and equipment pressure and rate volatility. CHAs and inland logistics providers should expect bunching of arrivals once congestion clears, which can strain evacuation at destination ports and ICDs. Exporters using imported inputs to fulfil their own export orders should watch for knock-on delays to production.

Operational Detail

Weather-driven disruption is inherently lumpy: rates and waiting times can spike quickly when a port closes and ease just as fast once vessels catch up, but the backlog takes time to clear. Carriers manage capacity actively in these conditions, so blanked sailings and general rate increases or peak-season surcharges are common. Booking early, confirming equipment availability, and keeping alternative routings and ports in view are the practical levers importers have.

What Importers Should Do Now

• Book earlier than usual and confirm space and equipment in writing for China- and Vietnam-origin cargo.
• Build extra transit buffer into purchase orders and replenishment plans through the disruption and festival-season peak.
• Ask forwarders about alternative load ports and routings if your usual gateway (e.g. Shanghai, Ningbo) is congested.
• Check contracts for surcharge and force-majeure clauses so cost exposure is understood.
• Prioritise critical SKUs and consider partial air-freight for high-urgency, high-value items.

What Forwarders and CHAs Should Do Now

• Give clients early warning of blanked sailings, rate movements and expected arrival bunching.
• Pre-position for a surge in destination-port evacuation once congestion clears, to avoid dwell and detention.
• Keep routing alternatives and equipment options ready and communicate them proactively.

The Bigger Picture

This is a weather-and-capacity event, not a policy change, and the acute phase should ease as ports work through the backlog. But it is a reminder that India's import supply chains from East Asia are sensitive to a typhoon season that appears increasingly disruptive, and that intra-Asia rates have been trading at elevated, at times multi-year-high, levels. Importers who treat schedule buffers, multi-port options and clear forwarder communication as standing practice — not just crisis responses — will ride out these spikes with less pain.

Frequently Asked Questions

How high have intra-Asia rates gone? Drewry's Intra-Asia Container Index reached $1,312 per 40ft in early September 2026 after five straight weekly rises, with the Shanghai–Nhava Sheva rate up about 26% to roughly $2,970 per 40ft.

Is this a lasting increase? It is primarily weather-driven, so the sharpest effects should fade as ports clear their backlogs. Timing is uncertain, so plan for continued volatility in the near term.

Which India lanes are most affected? Imports from China (via Shanghai, Ningbo and other ports) and Vietnam are most directly hit, with knock-on effects at Nhava Sheva and other Indian gateways.

What can I do if my cargo is stuck? Work with your forwarder on rebooking, alternative ports and, for urgent high-value items, partial air freight; confirm surcharge exposure against your contract.

Conclusion

Typhoon disruption has pushed intra-Asia freight to elevated levels and lengthened port waiting times, with direct spillover to India's China and Vietnam import lanes just as festival-season demand builds. The response is practical: book early, buffer transit, keep routing alternatives open, and stay in close contact with your forwarder until the backlog clears.

This article is for general guidance only; freight rates and port conditions change rapidly. Confirm current rates, sailings and port status with your carrier or freight forwarder before making shipping decisions.