Port Congestion Hits Record High, US Weighs Additional 7.5% Tariff, Pinduoduo Loses Momentum: Today's Top 3
Daily Industry Briefing
Today's top three: First, global vessels waiting to berth have reached 4.3 million TEU, surpassing the pandemic-era peak, with East Asian typhoons still queuing up — directly affecting China-Malaysia route capacity and cargo arrival times. Second, the US is considering an additional 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods, which may push more low-cost manufacturing capacity toward Southeast Asia. Third, Pinduoduo's Q2 revenue missed expectations, and as the platform tightens subsidies, this will change landed prices and stocking strategies for Malaysian buyers.
Today's Top 3
1. Global Port Congestion Surpasses Pandemic Peak: 4.3 Million TEU Waiting to Berth
Linerlytica data shows 4.3 million TEU of capacity is waiting outside ports globally to berth, surpassing the pandemic-era historical high of roughly 4 million TEU
Splash247 · 2026-08-25 · Read Original Article ↗
2. US Considers Additional 7.5% Tariff on Low-Priced Chinese Exports
According to sources familiar with the matter, Trump is considering imposing a new 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods, citing China's large-scale low-price exports to global markets
Fortune · 2026-08-24 · Read Original Article ↗
3. Pinduoduo Q2 Revenue of RMB112.36 Billion Misses Expectations, Net Profit Down 12%
Q2 revenue for the quarter ended June 30 was RMB112.36 billion (approximately USD15.7 billion), up 8% year-on-year, below the market average estimate of RMB116.35 billion
BNN Bloomberg · 2026-08-24 · Read Original Article ↗
HASTE Insight
It's China's ports that are congested, but it's Port Klang's containers that arrive late; it's US tariffs going up, but it's Southeast Asia's capacity being fought over
Let's start with the numbers: 4.3 million TEU waiting to berth, representing 12.6% of the 34.4 million TEU fleet; using a different calculation method, Sea-Intelligence estimates delays are removing about 1.7 million TEU of effective capacity. With 139 vessels queuing at Shanghai and 77 at Ningbo, carriers are skipping ports to recover schedule. The knock-on effect for Malaysia is direct: China-to-Southeast Asia routes rely heavily on feeder space and transshipment from mainline vessels, so when a mainline vessel skips a port, arrival windows at Port Klang and Penang shift back across the board. On-time performance is only 60% to 65%, with late vessels averaging 5 to 5.5 days behind schedule — compared to 3 to 4 days pre-pandemic — meaning every LCL shipment needs an extra two days of buffer.
This is a condensed version. The full briefing, with every key point, the cost comparison table and the recommended actions, is published on the Haste website:
Data in this article is sourced from public reports for reference only and does not constitute tax or investment advice; actual freight charges, taxes, and customs clearance outcomes are subject to final confirmation by the carrier and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
Aug 26,2026