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

Mozambique

Heavy rainfall across the country last week caused some disruptions to port operations and truck movements. In Maputo, roadblocks delayed the delivery of containers. In Beira, heavy rains caused power cuts, which delayed cargo clearance and delivery. Vessel waiting times have increased to 8 days. In Nacala, power cuts and flooding hindered the pickup of containers from the port.

South Africa

Cape Town: Strong winds may delay port operations this week. As shown in the above table, waiting times remain stable compared to last week. Seaexplorer currently shows four vessels waiting for a berth.

Durban: The average waiting time in Durban has improved; however, some vessels can wait up to 6 days at Pier 1 and 9 days at Pier 2. Inefficiencies resulted from equipment breakdowns and wind delays in previous weeks. This week, no wind disruptions are expected.

Port Elizabeth: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2.5 days. Wind delays are expected tomorrow, Thursday, 6 March, which could disrupt port operations. The Maersk Zambezi and the Horizon are currently at anchor.

Asia Oceania

Australia

Brisbane: Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to make landfall in southeastern Queensland, Australia, on Thursday, 6 March or early Friday, 7 March.

Coastal areas can expect gale-force winds and wind gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph). Abnormally high tides and potentially damaging swells will continue along the southeast Queensland and northeastern New South Wales coast. Due to these adverse conditions inbound and outbound ship movements are suspended.

All terminals are currently closed and expected to reopen on Monday, 10 March. Due to the cyclone, some vessels may omit Brisbane to avoid further schedule delays.

Additionally, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) office in Brisbane is closed until further notice. All EXDOC and NEXDOC certificates that would have been printed in Brisbane have been directed to other offices as follows until further notice:

• EXDOC horticulture and grain certificates will be printed at the Perth office.
• All other EXDOC certificates and all NEXDOC certificates will be printed at the Sydney office.
• The Melbourne office will handle all requests for manual certificates.

China

Congestion has increased again at Chinese ports due to multiple vessels arriving simultaneously and weather-related port closures. According to seaexplorer, more than 90 vessels are anchored in the Shanghai-Ningbo area, while 53 vessels are waiting in Qingdao.

New Zealand

Tauranga: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1 day. In its latest update, the Port of Tauranga reports that 66% of vessels arrived off-window in the last three months, and 72% departed off-window. In week 10, the port expects 10 of the 16 vessels scheduled to arrive within their berthing windows. With the start of reefer season, generators and plugs are highly utilised. At times, vessel delays are adding some pressure to plug availability.

Europe

Belgium

Antwerp:

• PSA: The berthing lineup is highly utilised, and dry and reefer yards are congested. Due to holidays, a shortage of pilots is expected in the coming days.

• AGW: The situation at the terminal regarding yard utilisation and truck appointment availability is improving. However, due to holidays, a shortage of pilots is expected at this terminal in the coming days.

France

Nationwide port strikes heavily impact waterside productivity and yard capacity at French ports. This has resulted in vessel schedule delays, an increase in the number of waiting vessels, and setbacks to container pickups and deliveries. Seven vessels are currently at Le Havre anchorage, waiting to berth.

Strikes are expected to continue into March are as follows:

• 4-hour stoppages:4, 6, 10, 12, 14, 24, 26, 28 March. 
• Full-day strikes: 18,19 and 20 March

Germany

Hamburg:

• CTA: The situation at this terminal has not changed compared to last week. The berthing line remains full, and the yard is at 65% utilisation. Delivery restrictions based on vessel ETA remain in place. The strike, which suspended pilot services for 36 hours last week, has delayed the operations on some vessels.

• CTB: The berthing line at this terminal is full until mid-March. Yard utilisation is 75%. Automation groundwork at CTB will begin next week. This could further delay vessels calling the terminal.

As of 5 March, handling operations are delayed by 24 hours in Hamburg and Bremerhaven, resulting in delayed and cancelled train departures.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• ECT: Yard congestion and labour shortages are negatively impacting productivity. Export, transhipment, and empty volumes are high. As a result, the terminal is restricting empty deliveries. Barges are delayed by 12-48 hours, and feeders by 24-48 hours.

• Hutchinson Port Delta II: Strike actions such as full stops and slowdowns impact ship operational productivity, resulting in delays for vessels calling this terminal. Since other terminals are also under pressure, the possibility for vessels to call other terminals is limited.

• RWG: The situation at the terminal remains unchanged this week. Berthing lineups are full, and the yard is heavily congested. To manage the yard, RWG is not accepting empty returns.

Spain

A rail strike has been announced in Spain in March and April. According to trade union and media reports, all-day strikes can be expected on 17 and 26 March and 1 April. Further strikes are planned for 19, 24, and 28 March and 3 April. The strike will impact both cargo and passenger rail.

United Kingdom

Felixstowe: This week, vessel waiting time has exceeded 5 days in Felixstowe. A train derailment on 4 March delayed rail transport for some containers.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong (Chattogram): The table above shows that the vessel waiting time decreased to under 3 days in Chittagong. Nevertheless, Kuehne+Nagel reports that equipment operators have reduced productivity, delaying the load and discharge activities and increasing port stays. Additionally, port workers are working reduced hours this month, which may increase port stays further.

Dhaka Kamalapur ICD: Due to a train shortage, dwell times for cargo inbound to Dhaka range between 8 and 15 days. The Bangladesh Railway plans to add more trains, but the improvements so far have been minor.

North America

Canada

Vancouver: Waiting times have improved in Vancouver this week; however, is still around 4.5 days. Winter weather is causing delays to vessels and rail transport.

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

• Halifax: 15 days
• Montreal: 9 days
• Prince Rupert: 11 days
• Saint John: 11 days
• Vancouver: 13 days

United States

US East Coast ports are experiencing unprecedented winter weather, including heavy snowfall and ice, resulting in port disruptions in Norfolk, New York, Charleston, Savannah, and Houston. This week, another strong storm whipped through the East Coast bringing severe thunderstorms and wind gusts. In Savannah, carriers report heavy berth congestion and delays to vessel schedules. As a result, some carriers are omitting the port on certain services until the congestion eases.

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

• Montreal: 11 days
• Vancouver: 11 days
• Charleston: 6 days
• Houston: 14 days
• Los Angeles: 12 days
• Long Beach: 13 days
• New York: 7 days
• Norfolk: 7 days
• Savannah: 4 days

South and Central America

Congestion has increased at Central American ports due to high volumes, in particular reefers and the lack of port infrastructure. Guatemala and El Salvador are currently facing severe logistical challenges due to significant port and border congestion in Guatemala. A tri-axle chassis shortage, poor road conditions, landslides, and sinkholes are impacting the inland movement of cargo. This applies to cargo to/from Puerto Barrios, Santo Tomás and Puerto Quetzal.

Honduras

Puerto Cortes: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 3 days. Delays are currently due to congestion, severe weather conditions, and labour shortages.

Peru

Callao: Vessel waiting times have increased to 3 days in Callao due to a labour and trucker shortage, increased volumes and high swells.

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.