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.
Asia Pacific
China
Berthing congestion continues to cause delays in Shanghai, Ningbo and Qingdao. Seaexlporer shows 115 vessels at anchor in the Shanghai-Ningbo area. In Qingdao, six ships are waiting for a berth.
Malaysia
Port Klang: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1 day. Carriers report berth and yard congestion, which are causing delays. A high number of calls is expected this week, which could increase delays.
New Zealand
Auckland: Rail services are suspended between Hamilton and Auckland until 27 January. According to the latest port update, the port continues to see vessel schedule disruptions due to offshore factors materialising in blank sailings. In addition, it will continue to monitor cargo forecasting until late January as the full impact of the Block of Line is realised.
The port advises customers to monitor the POAL and Kiwi Rail websites for real-time updates on vessel movements and cargo receival windows.
Philippines
The ports were closed between 31 December and 2 January, resulting in slight delays in Manila and Cebu.
South Korea
Busan: Although the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.5 days, further delays are expected in week 2 due to the bunching arrival of mainline vessels.
Europe
North Europe
Over the last week, winter storms disrupted operations in Antwerp and Rotterdam. As a result, waiting times have increased at these ports, specifically in Rotterdam.
A strike has begun at Hutchison Ports ECT Rotterdam / EMX after contract negotiations failed. As a result, significant disruptions are at the EMX and ECT gates, meaning no delivery/collection is possible. In addition, there may be substantial impacts on train loading and unloading.
The number of waiting vessels in the Antwerp-Rotterdam area is currently 14.
In Bremerhaven, the MSC Gate and Eurogate container terminals face storage constraints. To address this, the terminals temporarily limited container deliveries to a maximum of seven days before the scheduled vessel arrival, effective 6 January.
At Hamburg CTA and CTB, yard utilisation has stabilised. Dwell times have reduced to 5.9 days at CTA. This terminal has a restriction on export deliveries by train to 7 days before vessel ETA but is currently accepting earlier deliveries. Truck delivery windows are 7-8 days before vessel ETA.
Port workers have announced a series of 4-hour strikes in France through January. Stoppages have been confirmed for Le Havre on the 7 and 9 January. Furthermore, 48-hour strikes are planned for 3 and 4 February should workers' demands not be met. Read More.
Greece
Piraeus: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.6 days due to congestion, holidays, and severe weather. Yard occupancy is 94% for full containers and 54% for empty.
Italy
Genoa: Due to essential civil works on the rail network, significant closures and restrictions will impact rail services at Genoa VTE port until 12 January. Read more
Turkey
Mersin: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1 day. Congestion has decreased compared to previous weeks following the terminal operating system change on 1 December. However, off-window vessels can wait up to five days.
United Kingdom
Southampton, London Gateway and Felixstowe were affected by high winds this Monday, 6 January. Operations have returned to normal; however, delays can be expected.
Middle East Africa
Cameroon
Douala: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days.
Djibouti
Djibouti: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2.3 days.
Ghana
Tema: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 4.5 days.
Ivory Coast
Abidjan: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days.
Kenya
Mombasa: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 9.44 days.
Mozambique
Political unrest continues to impact cross-border cargo and port operations in Mozambique. According to local sources, further unrest and demonstrations are expected from Thursday, 9 January, which could hamper container movements.
The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 15 days in Beira. Read more
Republic of the Congo
Pointe Noire: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.92 days.
Senegal
Dakar: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days
South Africa
Durban: Vessel delays can be up to 5 days at Pier 1 and 10 days at Pier 2. Strong winds are forecast for 8 January.
Tanzania
Dar Es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.92 days.
The Gambia
Banjul: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 12 days.
North America
Canada
Average rail dwell times for Canadian cargo:
- Halifax: 12 days
- Montreal: 13 days
- Prince Rupert: 12 days
- Vancouver: 11 days
United States
Contract negotiation talks took place on 7 January between the ILA and USMX. There has been no communication on the outcome of these talks just yet. The current contract expires on 15 January. Should no agreement be reached by then, a coast-wide strike is possible. Maersk urges customers to pick up full imports and return empty containers to US East Coast and Gulf ports before 15 January. Read more
Average rail dwell times for US cargo:
- Montreal: 13 days
- Vancouver: 12 days
- Charleston: 5 days
- Houston: 11 days
- Los Angeles: 12 days
- Long Beach: 12 days
- New York: 7 days
- Norfolk: 7 days
- Savannah: 5 days
Houston: A winter storm is forecast to impact the DFW area starting Wednesday night, 8 January and continuing through Friday morning. The National Weather Service has indicated the possibility of measurable snow and ice accumulations, which could result in hazardous road conditions and travel disruptions. Port of Houston has not issued any alerts or warnings as yet.
New York: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to more than 2.5 days in New York this week. According to the seaexplorer, six vessels are at anchor.
Savannah: Fog caused river closures over several days, resulting in vessel bunching and delays. Seaexplorer shows 12 vessels at anchor.
South and Central America
Brazil
Manaus: A severe drought affects the river's water levels, making ship navigation difficult. However, water levels have improved recently, and some ships could navigate the river again, albeit with lower capacity.
Navegantes: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.5 days; however, some vessels can wait up to 10 days.
Paranagua: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.5 days. Vessels arriving off-window can wait up to 3 days for a berth.
Guatemala
Puerto Quetzal: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 8.5 days. The APM container yard occupancy is at 146%.
Mexico
Lazaro Cardenas: The yard occupancy is 89%. Truck shortages can delay the movement of single and odd containers. Truck and rail assignment times average 1 week for import containers.
Panama
Cristobal: The 7-day vessel waiting time is around 3.6 days.
Peru
Callao: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1.88 days. The container yard occupancy is at 90%.
Paita: Due to increased agricultural shipments, high reefer truck demand exists at those ports. This is expected to ease in Q1 2025. Several carriers report a 20ft container shortage. Market disruptions are currently affecting overall schedule reliability.
How does Kuehne+Nagel calculate the average vessel waiting time?
Mainline container vessels may spend a certain number of days waiting at designated anchorage areas before their scheduled port call.
We calculate the average waiting time based on these days, 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 and
- vessels passing through the anchorage area without intending to call at the port
Stay Ahead Stay Informed: Register for seaexplorer for the latest disruptions and vessel waiting times at global container ports.
