How to Avoid Shipping Delays During the Lunar New Year in 2024
The Lunar New Year 2024, often known as Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, is quickly approaching. The holiday means limited operations, staffing shortages, and delayed shipping for importers and exporters. However, you can escape the holiday rush as well as supply chain problems.
When is Lunar New Year in 2024?
In China, Lunar New Year is one of the most important festivals of the year, with a two-week long celebration. Many people go to see their families during Golden Week.
The festival usually starts in late January, with exact dates depending on the lunar calendar. The Lunar New Year in 2024 is on February 10th. The festivities last around two weeks, with the first seven days designated as a public holiday. On February 24, 2024, the Lantern Festival will mark the end of the period.
Be aware that holiday preparations often begin three weeks before the actual dates.
Here’s what the period of Lunar New Year looks like in 2024:
| Mid-December 2023 | Production begins to slow down at factories |
| Late January, 2024 | Factories stop manufacturing; peak export rush at major Chinese ports to ship out goods |
| Early February, 2024 | Workers start to leave for the holidays; ports have limited operational capacity |
| February 9-16, 2024 | Lunar New Year holiday week |
| Mid-February, 2024 | Workers start returning to factories and ports* |
The impact of the Lunar New Year on shipping
China is a major import and export hub, particularly for maritime freight shipping. As a result, China’s slowdown has an impact on the global supply chain network.
During the New Year’s Eve celebrations, ports, factories, and shipping companies reduce operations, with some even suspending operations entirely. This means that the supply chain will be disrupted:
- High cargo volumes in the run-up to the holidays
- Increased rates as a result of insufficient capacity
- Longer wait times or a shortage of container availability
- Importers and exporters face increased charges such as demurrage and delay.
- Worker shortages cause delivery delays and reduced customer service availability.
How to Get Your Shipments Ready for the Lunar New Year
Understand your supply chain requirements.
Determine your shipping requirements and normal transit timeframes. Then, to avoid delays, attempt to organize your shipments several weeks ahead of the New Year.
Data can be used to keep your inventory filled.
Examine your previous consumer behavior and orders during the holiday season. Use this information to forecast how much inventory you will require and to stock up on what you will require ahead of time.
Divide your stuff into several tiny packages.
If you need to transport a container’s worth of products during the Lunar New Year, consider splitting the shipment into multiple deliveries, using different LCL shipments with separate bills of lading. This reduces the possibility of shipping delays if one of the containers or carriers is late.
5 suggestions to avoid shipment delays for the Lunar New Year in 2024
Collaborate with a number of logistics partners.
Working with several service providers can assist decrease bottlenecks and boost operational efficiency in your firm. This is especially true during the holiday season, when some providers may be fully booked or delayed.
Use a variety of shipping methods.
If you typically ship maritime freight, investigate alternative modes of transportation such as air or rail if possible. Use a combination of several modes if possible. During busy season, shipping your freight in various ways helps move things faster.
Choose less congested ports.
If your destination port is congested during the holidays, investigate alternate ports with lower congestion or import volumes. During peak traffic seasons, a longer route may actually be faster.
Use several container kinds.
The most typically hired shipping containers are 20ft containers. Ship your items in different containers, such as 40ft, high cube, or side-door containers, if possible. These containers could provide cheaper rates than usual.
Maintain a “just-in-case” budget.
Delays often occur when shipping, and this is especially true during the holiday season. Plan for higher freight expenditures to meet your inventory targets during these times.
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