Hapag-Lloyd chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen is warning that the upcoming peak season for liner companies will be extended due to port chaos in China — wreaking further havoc on the liner shipping schedules.

He believes what happens in the coming weeks at the congested ports of southern China could be pivotal.

He said extending peak season — which traditionally runs from August to October for deliveries to retailers in Europe and the US in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas — could only pour further pressure on services that already face a severe shortage of vessel capacity and container equipment.