by Fiona Nagorsnik, SeaNewsEditor
Stay ahead of supply chain disruptions and port congestion with Kuehne+Nagel’s weekly port operational update.
Middle East Africa
Saudi Arabia
Damman: The average 7-day vessel waiting time has increased to around 4.5 days as two mainliners arrived simultaneously in week 31.
Cameroon
Douala: Congestion and crane issues resulted in vessel waiting times of around 3.25 days. There were three vessels at anchor at the time of publishing.
Ghana
Tema: Waiting times are high, around 4 days, due to swells and low productivity in the last weeks. At the time of publishing, 8 vessels were at anchor.
Mozambique
Beira: Crane issues resulted in waiting times of around 2.25 days.
Oman
Salalah: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has decreased significantly to around 2.65 days this week.
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time increased to around 8 days due to power supply, crane, and systems issues.
South Africa
Durban: Port equipment shortages, crane outages, and dredging of berths are significantly slowing down land and waterside productivity. The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.51 days, but some carriers report that vessels can wait up to 16 days. At the time of publishing, twelve vessels were waiting for a berth.
Port Elizabeth: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days. At the time of publishing, four vessels were waiting for berth.
Asia Pacific
Australia
Fremantle: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 2 days due to minor congestion.
Bangladesh
Chittagong: The port of Chittagong (Chattogram) is heavily congested. According to seaexplorer data, the current vessel waiting time remains around 4 days, but the number of waiting vessels at anchorage increased to 15. The port authorities are aware of the situation and are trying to keep operations as vibrant as possible. Read more about the overall situation in Bangladesh here.
China
Dense fog and strong wind caused delays and disruption in several ports across China in week 31.
India
Mundra: Mundra experienced heavy rains last week, which impacted yard operations due to waterlogging. The terminal has been facing severe congestion for more than a month, causing inventory to consistently run above 50%. The inventory level has now reached 80%.
Due to severe congestion, the gate opening for truck deliveries is 3-4 days prior to vessel berthing. In addition, the berthing of out-of-window vessels for all carriers is delayed between 48 hours and 96 hours.
Currently, move count restrictions apply in Mundra, limiting pre-gate-in requests. Terminals are restricting the form 13 to gate in the containers.
Nhava Sheva: Nhava Sheva and Mumbai experienced heavy rains last week, which impacted CFS and empty yard operations due to waterlogging. The waiting period for empty pickup was 2-3 days, and trucker queues were 2-3 km in the majority of the yards due to bad road conditions.
The terminal has been experiencing congestion and has applied move count restrictions, which limits pre-gate-in requests. Terminals are restricting the form 13 to gate in the containers.
Chennai: Carriers are skipping the Chennai port area on direct services for long-haul trades to maintain schedule reliability and decongest Colombo port.
Korea
Busan: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1 day. While vessel waiting time has stabilised, the situation remains volatile due to vessel bunching and extra transshipment calls.
Philipines
Manila: Berth congestion is causing waiting times of around 5.5 days in Manila North.
Singapore
Singapore: Waiting time has improved, but yard utilisation and berth congestion remain high.
Sri Lanka
Colombo: Yard density has improved at CICT but remains high.
Europe
Germany
Hamburg:
- CTA - Yard density has reduced from critical levels but remains around 80%. Vessel waiting times and export dwell times have improved. Labour availability is limited due to the summer vacation period. Rail processing at CTA is 12 hours behind schedule.
- CTB - The yard density is around 78%. Limited labour availability at the terminal impacts productivity. Crane dismantling, system upgrades, and shore power installation are being carried out at the terminal. A minor delay in feeder handling can be expected due to a crane failure at the designated feeder berth. Departure delays and partial cancellations of rail transport are to be expected.
United Kingdom
Southampton: The yard density increased to around 81% but is anticipated to increase even further due to the arrival of a high number of mainliner vessels in week 32.
Greece
Piraeus: Vessel waiting times for mainliners have decreased to around 3.8 days this week. Feeders are facing delays of around 6 days. Yard utilisation and pier maintenance are contributing to delays; however, the pier maintenance work was finished at the end of week 31.
Netherlands
Rotterdam
- RWG - The yard density has slightly reduced to around 75%. A high number of feeders, as well as berth utilisation, caused minimal delays in week 31.
- ECT—The lack of labour reduces productivity, and the berthing lineup is full. ECT aligns vessel arrivals daily to match the available shifts, which fluctuate, causing delays.
Spain
Algeciras: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.5 days due to high yard density, labour shortages, and frequent crane outages.
Romania
Constanta: A bridge crane upgrade at CSCT Terminal is causing congestion and delays, resulting in carriers changing port rotations or vessel calls. The delays are also impacting neighbouring terminals. The situation is expected to continue until the upgrade is completed.
North America
USA
Tropical storm Debby brought torrential downpours, suspending operations in Savannah and disrupting the port of Jacksonville. Savannah later re-opened on 7 August.
Canada
The average rail dwell times are high in the following ports:
Prince Rupert: 9 days
Vancouver: 10 days
South and Central America
Brazil:
Poor visibility caused frequent suspensions in the in-and-out manoeuvres in Navegantes and Paranagua.
Costa Rica
Route 32 has been reopened; however, transit times are restricted since road work is being carried out from 7 to 16 hrs. It is, therefore, closed to trucks and cars. There are alternative routes for normal vehicles via Vara Blanca (National Route 126) and trucks via National Route 10, Turrialba.
Mexico
Lazaro Cardenas: Berth occupancy is high. Power issues, low productivity, and high yard utilisation are causing vessel delays. Difficulties with confirming container entry and exit appointments persist at the port, with waiting times of up to 48 hours due to operational challenges.
Manzanillo: The port is currently congested due to a large number of vessels calling the port.
Panama
Cristobal: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has significantly increased to around 8.25 days. The port is congested due to cargo rerouting caused by the Red Sea situation. This delays container transshipment and creates a labour shortage to handle the increased volumes. Yards are around 90% capacity, resulting in slower productivity.
Manzanillo: The yard density is around 90%, causing delays and disruptions in operations.
Balboa: The port of Balboa is congested, resulting in delays and disruptions in operations.
Uruguay
Montevideo: The port was closed on 7 August and will be closed again on 9 August due to a strike called by the union.
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