by Fiona Nagorsnik, SeaNewsEditor

Stay ahead of supply chain disruptions and port congestion with Kuehne+Nagel’s weekly port operational update.



Middle East Africa

UAE

Jebel Ali: The terminal yard density has surpassed 90%, leading to considerable congestion. Although the 7-day average vessel waiting time is approximately 1.25 days, both mainline and feeder vessels are experiencing longer waiting times. 

Djibouti

Djibouti: Because vessels are scheduled to arrive one after another without breaks, the berths are becoming more occupied. This increased the 7-day average vessel waiting time to around 2.7 days.

Algeria

Algiers: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.9 days due to congestion caused by slow container scanning.

Gambia

Banjul: The port is experiencing severe congestion with no berthing windows available, resulting in waiting times of around 10 days. However, some vessels can wait up to 20 days.

Marocco

Casablanca: The yard occupancy for full containers exceeds 106%. Moreover, poor productivity in vessel operations is causing additional delays. 

South Africa:

Persistent strong winds resulted in the loss of 46 containers and inflicted damage on an additional 305 containers aboard the MSC Antonia. Read more

Asia Pacific

Japan:

Tropical Storm Shanshan was active from 30 August to 3 September, shutting down port operations nationwide.

Australia

Severe weather caused waiting times of between 2-3 days in Sydney, Fremantle and Melbourne.

Fremantle: On 30 August, the Maersk Shekou, an 8,411 TEU containership, collided with the STS Leeuwin II, a tall ship used for youth training, in Fremantle, Australia. The incident dismasted the Leeuwin and caused damage to a berth and the Western Australia Maritime Museum’s roof. 

India

Severe rainfall has caused flood-like conditions in the Gujarat region, significantly slowing down port operations. Delays and disruptions are highly likely under these circumstances.

Philippines

Manila: The average 7-day vessel waiting time decreased to around 3.67 days; however, severe berth congestion remains.

China

Typhoon Yagi is forecast to disrupt operations in Hong Kong, Yantian, and Shekou. As of 23:00 on 4 September, empty container pick-up and laden container delivery have been suspended.

Europe

Germany

Hamburg: Labour union ver.di has called for another round of warning strikes, starting with the first shift on Wednesday, 4 September, at 7:00 and ending with the night shift on 5 September, at 7:00 local time.

No handling, including rail and truck movements, will occur at all HHLA terminals during the strike, and dispatching is not expected to start immediately after the end of the strike. As a result, significant cargo and cargo operations delays are expected during and after the strike. Read more

Italy

National rail strikes by Italian railway operator Gruppo FS employees will begin this week.

The strike action will take place as follows:

• 5 September – for 24 hours from 21:00 local time
• 6 September – for 24 hours
• 8 September – from 03:00 till 02:00 local time, 9 September

All intermodal connections could be affected during these strikes since they may involve train drivers and network operators. Read more

Greece

Piraeus: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.14 days; however, feeders can wait up to 5 days for a berth.

North America

Canada:

Local 514 of the International Longshore Warehouse Union intends to strike. This follows the expiration of the current agreement on 31 March 2023. So far, no 72-hour strike or lockout notice has been issued. A previous strike attempt in July was deemed illegal. The ILWU has since secured a strike mandate. A potential strike could disrupt supply chains in Vancouver and Prince Rupert. Read more

South and Central America

Brazil

Dense fog caused interruptions in Paranagua and Santos

Mexico

Manzanillo:  The yard utilisation is around 100%, and the berth lineup is congested, with an average vessel waiting time of around 2.5 days.

Panama:

Severe congestion persists nationwide.

Colombia:

Colombia is facing major strikes on main roads due to increased diesel prices, disrupting supply chains. The strike, which started on 2 September, will continue indefinitely until the Government and Transportation Unions reach an agreement. There are 136 road closures, including Bogotá and 81 other regions, potentially causing congestion at ports due to cargo accumulation from the lack of ground transportation.

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