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

Kenya

Mombasa: The terminal is experiencing persistent congestion and reduced productivity due to equipment shortages and high transhipment volumes. Additionally, vessel bunching and off-window arrivals are contributing to berth delays.

Mauritius

Port Louis: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to 12 days due to weather disruptions and operational challenges.

South Africa

Durban: Waiting times have increased this week due to large volumes moving through the port and crane breakdowns. Bayhead Road rehabilitation may lead to gate congestion.

Cape Town: Vessel delays vary per service at CTCT. Seasonal wind delays may disrupt port operations.

Port Elizabeth: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2 days. This port may also be affected by inclement weather delays.

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam: The delays in Mombasa are impacting vessel rotation and schedules. Some cargo is being discharged in Mombasa for feedering to Dar es Salaam. The terminal gate and road are congested, resulting in delays.

Asia Oceania

China

This year, Golden Week will fall between 1 and 8 October. Carriers are announcing blank sailings for certain services, reducing available capacity.

Congestion and vessel bunching continue at northern Chinese ports.

At the time of publishing, 157 vessels were at anchor at Shanghai-Ningbo. As shown above, waiting times are upwards of 2 days at both ports. In Qingdao, 40 vessels were waiting for a berth at the time of publishing.

Malaysia

Port Klang: Due to vessel bunching, the average vessel waiting time is approximately 1.27 days. The high yard density is around 90%, which impacts productivity.

Philippines

Manila: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.91 days due to port congestion. Off-window vessels can wait 3 or more days for a berth.

Singapore

Singapore: Due to congestion, the average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 1.47 days. Yard utilisation is around 85-90%. Due to vessel capacity limitations, some transhipment containers could face delays.

Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.81 days due to port congestion. Yard utilisation at Cat Lai remains steady at 90-95%.

Europe

Belgium

Antwerp: PSA Antwerp faces heavy congestion, and the export delivery window has been reduced from 7 to 5 days. Yard occupancy at PSA Q913 is high (90%), but dwell times have improved. Truck turnaround averages 58 minutes, and night slots are suggested to ease congestion.

Croatia

Due to essential infrastructure works, a continuous rail line closure is scheduled between Koprivnica and Novo Drnje from 15 September 2025 at 06:00 until 29 September 2025 at 21:00.

This disruption will impact services operating between Rijeka and Budapest. Delays are expected, and contingency planning is underway to deploy additional trains based on available capacity within the Croatian rail network.

Germany

Bremerhaven: Rail works between Bremen and Bremerhaven are expected to run between 2 and 6 October. According to rail provider Metrans, capacity on the alternative private infrastructure for the detour route cannot provide the capacity for full-fledged operations. During the closure period, the provider will reduce the number of trains to/from the port of Bremerhaven by approximately 50%. Delays should be considered in cago planning.

Hamburg:

• CTA: Yard utilisation is 77%, and dwell times have improved. Labour has improved, but not yet at optimal levels. CTA is entering a period of disruption due to essential terminal reconstruction, including gantry crane replacements and system upgrades, which will reduce berth capacity and cause delays until mid-next year.

• CTB: The berthing line-up at CTB is congested, with a waiting time of up to 5 days. Yard density remains stable at 75%, though container dwell times vary.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• ECT: The berthing line-up is full with high move counts; late arrivals may face short waiting times. Yard occupancy is high at 70%, with high reefer discharge volumes. Truck visits during peak hours cause long waiting times; non-peak hours are encouraged. Labour is impacted by a lack of gangs; recruitment and CLA negotiations are ongoing.

• RWG: Carriers report average berth waiting time is 8.2 days due to high move counts. Yard occupancy is high at 83% with rising import and transhipment dwell times; feeder vessels are prioritised for transhipment evacuation.

• MVII: Yard level remains elevated at 95%; reefer plug usage has increased.

• Delta II: ITT challenges persist; terminal remains stable under reduced operations

Slovenia

Koper: Container terminal at Luka Koper is facing operational challenges due to high cargo volumes, limited truck availability during the holiday season, rail disruptions, and inland terminal congestion. These factors have resulted in high dwell times and yard occupancy.

Although additional storage space has been secured, productivity across vessels, trains, trucks, and container freight stations is affected. Despite improved container outflow, normalisation is not expected immediately. The terminal urges customers to expedite import pickup and adhere to the 7-day rule for export deliveries.

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, the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.73 days. Yard density remains high at 82%, and the gates are slightly congested.

Turkey

Mersin: Carriers report waiting, on average, 2 days for a berth for mainline vessels. On-time vessels berth on arrival, while feeder vessels can wait 3 days.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong: As can be seen from the average waiting times, berthing congestion has eased, with current berthing delays of 1–3 days for gearless vessels and 0–2 days for geared vessels.

Yard occupancy is high at 85.38%. The port authority is strictly limiting port stays, especially for gearless vessels, and logistical challenges persist due to equipment breakdowns. At the time of publishing, four vessels were waiting for a berth.

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: 4 days
• Vancouver: 6 days

Mexico

Manzanillo: The yard is at 92% utilisation, and the port is working on a FIFO basis at the container yards.

USA

New York: APMT is currently experiencing high demand for gate appointments, especially on vessel cut-off days, which may limit availability. Customers are encouraged to deliver export cargo early during the initial gate open period.

Ongoing schedule changes and appointment pressure are causing delays, and in some cases, containers are missing from vessel loading.

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

• Montreal: 5 days
• Prince Rupert: 5 days
• Vancouver: 5 days
• Charleston: 2 days
• Houston: 9 days
• Jacksonville: 4 days
• Los Angeles: 7 days
• Long Beach: 6 days
• New York: 4 days
• Norfolk: 3 days
• Savannah: 1 day

South and Central America

Colombia

Cartagena: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.74 days. Although congestion is improving in Cartagena, transhipment volumes remain high and delays can be expected.

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.

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