by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor

• Stay ahead of supply chain disruptions and port congestion with Kuehne+Nagel’s weekly port operational update.
• Find out the latest vessel waiting times and status of ports in Africa, Asia Oceania, Europe, Middle East-Indian Subcontinent, North America, and South and Central America. 

Africa

Guinea

Conakry: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 8 days due to heavy congestion. At the time of publishing, six vessels were waiting for a berth.

Ivory Coast

Abidjan: The vessel waiting time has increased in Abidjan. Yard congestion is resulting in lower productivity and berthing delays.

Kenya

Mombasa: The average waiting time has improved to 2 days this week. At the time of publishing, seaexplorer recorded 7 vessels waiting at anchorage.

Mauritius

Port Louis: The average vessel waiting time has exceeded 5 days owing to weather disruptions and operational challenges.

Mozambique

Beira: Due to congestion, the average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 1 day; however, some carriers report waiting times of up to 8 days.

South Africa

South African ports are working efficiently with no major issues, with the exception of incremental wind stoppages. The addition of new equipment and other improvements has resulted in increased productivity on both the land and waterside.

On the landside, the Bayhead Road rehabilitation continues in Durban, which can result in some congestion at the port gate. A train derailment has caused a backlog, which is being cleared.

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam: The average waiting time has increased to 4 days this week. Four ships were waiting to berth at the anchorage. The terminal gates and roads are congested, resulting in further delays at the port. Due to vessel space limitations and scheduling, shipments to Dar es Salaam could face additional transhipments and extended transit times.

Asia Oceania

China

Berth congestion from previous typhoons has elevated waiting times in Ningbo and Shanghai. At the Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage, 166 vessels were waiting for a berth. Similarly, in Qingdao, 41 vessels are waiting for a berth.

Japan

Yokohama: CMA CGM advises that terminal operations will be reduced and heavily impacted for the next 3 weeks due to the CMA CGM terminal transfer program from D4 to D5.

Malaysia

Port Klang: Due to vessel bunching, the average vessel waiting time is approximately 1.33 days. Yard density is around 90% and is impacting productivity.

New Zealand

Tauranga: Vessel productivity has improved after crane repairs were completed last week. Yard congestion and productivity have also improved.

Philippines

Manila: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days due to port congestion. Off-window vessels can wait 3 or more days for a berth.

Vietnam

High yard congestion at ports in Vietnam is causing delays.

Europe

Belgium

Antwerp: Congestion remains high at terminals in Antwerp, and labour is reduced,

affecting port productivity on both land and waterside.

Germany

Bremerhaven: An accident on the rail line between Bremen and Bremerhaven damaged the tracks and overhead lines significantly. Until repairs are completed, the line's capacity will be significantly reduced, and delays on services to and from Bremerhaven are to be expected.

Hamburg:

Rail operations at terminals are experiencing varying degrees of delay. The Hamburg Port Authority continues to manage the flow of cargo at the port. Significant delays continue due to the multiple disruptions and construction works.

• CTA: Berth construction has reduced the number of available berths at CTA for the next three weeks. This will delay larger and feeder vessels. In addition, summer vacation has reduced labour availability.
• CTH: Congestion at this terminal due to high yard utilisation, berth construction and labour shortage.
• CTB: Carriers report vessel waiting times of up to 5 days at this terminal. Labour shortages have recovered insufficiently, and yard density is stable at 75%.

Italy

Genoa: Some carriers are omitting Genoa due to berth congestion, high yard density and a labour shortage.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• ECT: The port is highly utilised, and late vessels will wait for a berth. High demand at peak hours causes delays to container pickups.
• RWG: Carriers report waiting 10.5 days on average for a berth at this terminal. Yard occupancy is high, and dwell times for imports and transhipments are increasing.
• MVII: Despite a high yard occupancy, the terminal is running efficiently.
• DELTA II: Yard utilisation is low, and the terminal will accommodate more barges and feeders.

Rhine River

Water levels have improved at all measuring points, and capacity restrictions on barges have been lifted.

Spain

Algeciras: Carriers report yard density of around 83%. TTIA adopts a dynamic berth model that prioritises loading-heavy vessels to maintain terminal flow.

Valencia: Due to vessel bunching, waiting time is around 3 days. Yard density remains high at 82%, and the gates are slightly congested.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong: Falling waiting times indicate berth congestion is easing in Chittagong. According to local updates, the average waiting time is between 2 and 5 days, depending on whether the ship has its own gear or not. Gearless vessels can only occupy a berth for 48 hours, which may result in not all cargo meeting the vessel. In addition, equipment breakdowns are delaying operations and reducing export loads. The monsoon is active over the country, with rainfall expected to be light to moderate.

India

Mundra: Monsoon weather intermittently halts port operations, delaying vessels.

North America

Canada

Average import rail dwell time for Canadian cargo (Vessel arrival to departure rail ramp):

• • Halifax: 5 days
  • Montreal: 7 days
  • Prince Rupert: 6 days
  • Saint John: 5 days
  • Vancouver: 8 days

Mexico

Altamira: Altamira export delays are now 240 hours, and imports face delays of 72 hours.

Lazaro Cardenas: At APM Terminals, the yard is 65% utilised, with a waiting time of 2 hours. At LC Terminal T2, yard utilisation is 85%.

Manzanillo: The yard is at 92% utilisation; the port is adopting a working on FIFO (First-In, First-Out) mode at container yards.

Veracruz: A new crane is currently being installed in Veracruz and is scheduled to commence operations in August. This might lead to operational delays.

USA

Average import rail dwell and transit time for US cargo (Vessel arrival to departure rail ramp): 

• • Montreal: 5 days
  • Prince Rupert: 6 days
  • Vancouver: 5 days
  • Charleston: 2 days
  • Houston: 8 days
  • Los Angeles: 7 days
  • Long Beach: 7 days
  • New York: 4 days
  • Norfolk: 3 days
  • Savannah: 1 day

 South and Central America

Brazil

Manaus: A severe drought is impacting the water levels of the Amazon River, making ship navigation difficult and limiting vessel capacity.

Colombia

Cartagena: Although congestion is improving in Cartagena, transhipment volumes remain high, and delays can be expected. At the time of publishing, seven ships were waiting to call at the port.

Costa Rica

Caldera: The port is currently congested, and the infrastructure is not able to cope with the volume influx, leading to fluctuating levels of disruptions.

Guatemala

Puerto Barrios: The yard is experiencing high levels of utilisation at around 88%, primarily due to service reliability issues and a shortage of truck drivers. These factors are adversely affecting the timely release of import cargo.

Puerto Santo Tomas de Castilla: The yard is experiencing high levels of utilisation at around 97%, primarily due to service reliability issues. These factors are adversely affecting the timely release of import cargo.

Honduras

Puerto Cortés: Carriers report waiting up to 5 days for a berth and departing the port with a week's delay. The port is challenged by a doubling of volume due to seasonal commodity increases, a high number of red-selective inspections, and limited customs personnel on-site. For imports, a 48-hour advance notice is required to manage and ensure container departure. Exports require a minimum of 2 weeks' advanced notice. The yard is congested at around 101%.

Nicaragua

Corinto: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.8 days, and yard density is high. Some vessels can wait up to 10 days before operations begin at the port.

Panama

Balboa: Yard utilisation is between 90-95%, and landside operations are under steady operational pressure. Delays in inspections and cargo releases, specifically for reefer and OOG cargo, are being experienced.

Colon: Due to the increased throughput, yards are highly congested, causing bottlenecks and extended waiting times for cargo dispatch.

Cristobal: Yard operations are challenged by 90-95% utilisation.

Manzanillo: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1.58 days. Due to high volumes, the container yard and berth are operating at full capacity. Inspection delays and cargo release bottlenecks persist.

Rodman: The port is challenged by the current market conditions. Yard occupancy is around 90-95%. Operational saturation is being experienced due to canal-related cargo rerouting.

How Kuehne+Nagel calculates the 7-day average vessel waiting time

Mainline container vessels may spend a certain number of days waiting at designated anchorage areas before their scheduled port call.

To calculate the 7-day average waiting time, we consider the waiting days of these vessels, excluding: 

• Waiting times for feeder vessels, 
• Idle ships without an announced next port, 
• Slow steamers heading toward the anchorage but not actively waiting within the designated area
• Vessels passing through the anchorage area without intending to call at the port.

This rolling average is based on the data from the last seven days and is updated daily in seaexplorer.

To find the latest waiting time for a port, enter the port name or code in the search bar and select the relevant option.

Stay Ahead Stay Informed: Register for seaexplorer  for the latest disruptions and vessel waiting times at global container ports.