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 Middle East Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and South and Central America.
Africa
East Africa
Heavy congestion and changing carrier schedules have been reported at ports in East Africa. Waiting times have increased to more than 11 days in Dar es Salaam and 4 days in Mombasa.
Mozambique
Political unrest significantly increased vessel waiting times at Mozambique ports in January. Carriers report signs of recovery, although high waiting times are still experienced. According to seaexplorer analytics, the 7-day average vessel waiting time is 0 days in Maputo and 11 days in Beira.
South Africa
Carriers report improved port productivity at South African ports, evidenced by low vessel waiting times. However, wind-related delays at these ports are possible, especially in Cape Town at this time of year.
Asia Oceania
China
As shown in the table above, vessel waiting time in Shanghai has improved to below 2 days this week. In addition, the number of waiting ships in the Shanghai-Ningbo area has reduced from 147 last week to 89 this week.
On the other hand, waiting times in Yantian and Shekou have increased to around 2 days and 3.5 days, respectively. Seaexplorer shows 116 vessels at anchor in the Yantian-Hong Kong anchorage area, down from 140 last week.
New Zealand
Tauranga: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.5 days. Crane maintenance is taking place between 3 and 5 February. The port expects some disruption to operations on these days. The Metroport rail connection is operating normally and without backlog.
Europe
France
Further port strikes have been announced in February, adding pressure to operations at French and neighbouring ports. Read more
United Kingdom
Ports affected by adverse weather closures last week have recovered, and operations are back to normal. The berthing line has also cleared, especially at London Gateway, where the number of waiting vessels was 11 last week.
Middle East - Indian Subcontinent
India
Mundra: Congestion has increased waiting time to 2 days in Mundra this week.
North America
Canada
Vancouver: Vessel waiting times have improved significantly over the last week to below 2 days. Similarly, rail dwell times have decreased from 14 to 12 days this week.
Average import dwell time for Canadian cargo (Vessel arrival to departure rail ramp):
- Halifax: 14 days
- Montreal: 11 days
- Prince Rupert: 9 days
- Vancouver: 12 days
USA
Charleston: Vessel waiting times have improved in Charleston this week to under 3 days. However, Hapag-Lloyd advised that a rail drayage shortage has temporarily restricted all inland rail export moves, resulting in shipments being moved to the next vessel or cancelled.
Savannah: Vessel waiting time has increased in Savannah this week. According to seaexplorer, 16 vessels are currently at anchor. The port continues to work through the backlog created by storm closures. On 5 February, Maersk announced that due to the delays and congestion, it would temporarily omit Savannah from its North Atlantic Express service, starting with the Polar Costa Rica 505S.
Average import dwell and transit time for US cargo (Vessel discharge to destination ramp):
- Montreal: 10 days
- Prince Rupert: 17 days
- Vancouver: 10 days
- Charleston: 5 days
- Houston: 15 days
- Los Angeles: 13 days
- Long Beach: 13 days
- New York: 9 days
- Norfolk: 8 days
- Savannah: 5 days
South and Central America
Brazil:
Santos: Brasil Terminal currently has only two working piers, which means vessels can wait around 18 hours for a berth.
El Salvador
Acajutla: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days due to high berth occupancy.
Nicaragua
Due to high demand, Nicaragua has a severe seasonal trucker shortage, which causes delays in export and import placements.
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.
