Chinese New Years falls on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, marking the end of the Year of the Dragon and the beginning of the Year of the Snake.
Also known as the Spring Festival, the CNY is the most important holiday season in China, during which most of the country’s production facilities and factories close down, typically for 2-4 weeks. This can cause delays in both production and delivery of goods. Importers should take this into account and place orders well in advance. It also takes some time for production to start again after the holiday season.
CNY impact on ocean freight
The weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year is typically the busiest season of the year for ocean freight from Asia, as a large amount of goods must be shipped before the ports close.
Last shipments from Chinese ports are mostly scheduled for week 4/2025, and will resume around mid-February, during weeks 7-8/2025.
For the time being, shipping times from Asia to Europe are still longer than usual, as shipping companies are avoiding unrest in the Suez Canal and vessels are re-routed around Africa. The typical shipping time from Shanghai to Helsinki is currently about 8-10 weeks.
CNY impact on air freight
Air freight operations may be stopped for a couple of days at the beginning of the Chinese holiday season, but after this, urgent shipments can be delivered by air before sea traffic resumes. Reduced industrial production during the Chinese holiday season can lead to reduced transport capacity and longer than usual delivery times also for air freight.
New Year holidays in East Asia
In addition to China, the traditional New Year determined by the lunar calendar is celebrated in many Asian countries, such as Singapore and Hong Kong. South Korea’s Seollal and Vietnam’s Tet Nguyen Dan fall at the same time as the Chinese New Year. Similarly, there are effects on production and logistics.
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