Maersk published Golden Week network notices for Far East–Europe (20 August 2026) and Transpacific (28 August 2026) ahead of China’s National Day holiday window. The carrier says it is balancing the network for forecast demand reductions and reduced workforce to handle cargo, with coverage plans so customers can keep booking on usual channels. Inducement calls on alternative sailings are flagged for some Transpacific port coverage.
Asia–Europe blanks listed: Week 40 AE15 voyage 640W/645E, first load port Qingdao, ETD 28 September 2026; Week 41 AE12 voyage 641W/648E, Ningbo, ETD 8 October 2026; Week 41 AE1 voyage 641W/648E, Shanghai, ETD 10 October 2026. These dates matter because Mid-Autumn Festival holidays (25–27 September) and Golden Week (1–7 October) sit back-to-back, compressing export cutoffs into the final working days of September.
Transpacific blanks listed: eastbound TP8 voyage 640E (first port blanking Busan, proforma ETD 9 October) and TP12 voyage 641E (Ningbo, 9 October); westbound TP8 voyage 644W (Los Angeles, 1 November) and TP12 voyage 647W (Newark, 18 November). For importers sourcing from China into US West or East Coast, the operational cue is to lock replacement capacity and revised ETAs now, and to treat early-October blanks as overlapping with post-holiday factory restarts rather than as a mid-holiday pause only.