Supply chain disruptions and port congestion are here to stay. Find out what to expect in Kuehne+Nagel's weekly port operational update.
Middle East Africa
Cameroon
Douala: Vessel waiting time improved this week from 5 days to around 3.5 days. A gantry crane is under repair until mid-April, and reefer occupancy is high.
Congo
Pointe Noir: The 7-day average vessel waiting time remains unchanged at around 3 days this week. Reefer yards are over capacity. The port expects to reinstate fixed berthing windows, which could improve the waiting times for on-time vessels.
Djibouti
Djibouti: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.17 days. Productivity is low due to reduced working cranes and high yard occupancy.
Morocco
Tanger Med: CMA CGM reports waiting times of over a week for a berth at TC3.
Saudi Arabia
Dammam: Vessel bunching and low productivity have increased vessel waiting time.
South Africa
Cape Town: High winds have set back Cape Town's recovery effort for another two weeks. While vessels are waiting 2-3 days for a berth, productivity has improved at CTCT. Crane breakdowns hindered recovery at the multi-purpose terminal. Reefer plugs are currently limited.
Durban: Vessels wait on average 5.66 days in Durban; however, carriers report some could wait up to 25 days. Productivity at Pier 1 and 2 is low due to equipment breakdowns and unavailability. The situation is expected to improve in 3-4 weeks for at 1 and 3-5 months at Pier 2.
According to local news, the Newlyn Group opened a multimodal rail facility near the Port of Durban. The Newlyn PX Bayhead rail terminal will facilitate the movement of rail, road and sea cargo through its multimodal hub. It can handle various types of cargo, including those in containers.
Port Elizabeth: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased from 4.5 days at the start of the week to 7 days today. Port operations have recovered, and equipment at both terminals is fully operational. Nonetheless, winds are causing delays.
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam: Vessel waiting time has increased to around 13 days this week. Heavy rains, vessel bunching and power outages are causing congestion.
United Arab Emirates
Jebel Ali: The waiting time has improved slightly in Jebel Ali this week. Feeders and off-window vessels usually face berthing delays. All terminals have high yard density, reducing productivity and increasing delays to inter-terminal transfers.
Asia Pacific
Australia
Brisbane: Vessels calling DP World are waiting 1-2 days for a berth.
Melbourne: The Port of Melbourne expects protest action on the arrival of ZIM Sparrow, scheduled to call the port on 11 April. Further protests could take place on 15 April. The port communicated it is working with the Victoria Police to increase security during this time. Disruptions to port activities, especially truck movements, are possible.
Bangladesh
Chittagong: The Chattogram Port and container freight stations (CFS) experience high utilisation due to the upcoming holidays in Bangladesh. Feeder vessels are waiting 1 day for a berth.
China
Chinese ports continue to face seasonal fog, which results in intermittent closures and port operational disruptions such as berthing congestion. The congestion has resulted in elevated vessel waiting times this week.
India
Nhava Sheva: A berth has been under construction at NSFT since 1 March, reducing the number of berths available. Late vessels are berthing with delay.
Singapore
Singapore: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.65 days. Carriers report berthing congestion at PSA and high dwell times for transhipment containers, impacting yard operation efficiency.
South Korea
Busan: While the vessel waiting time is low this week, vessels arriving late from upstream ports can rapidly affect the berthing lineup.
Sri Lanka
Colombo: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.81 days. Colombo is experiencing increased vessel calls due to the re-routing around the Red Sea. On-time vessels berth on arrival. Those arriving off-window can expect delayed berthing. High yard density at JCT and CICT is reducing productivity at these terminals.
Europe
Finland
Strikes that began in March at all Finnish ports came to an end on Monday, 8 April. Ports are back to normal operations. Delays can be expected as backlogs are cleared.
Italy
Union workers will strike at the ports of Genoa and La Spezia on 11 April. In La Spezia, workers will strike for the last four hours of each shift. In Genoa, the strike will take place during the first shift. Kuehe+Nagel notes strikes and unrest at other Italian ports are possible.
Spain
Barcelona: The 7-day average vessel waiting time increased to around 2 days due to increased cargo flow, lowered productivity, IT issues and bad weather. Carriers expect improvements in the short term.
North America
Canada
The union representing Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail engineers and conductors has authorised a strike vote from 8 April to 1 May. If members vote to strike, the earliest a walkout or lockout could occur is 22 May. A strike could cause rail disruptions across Canada and to/from the US.
Vancouver: Yard utilisation remains high at all terminals. Rail dwell time is, on average, 13 days.
USA
US East Coast ports do not show signs of major congestion despite the redirection of Baltimore cargo. Most Baltimore cargo is being diverted to New York and Norfolk, where the waiting times are currently below 2 days.
Baltimore: The port remains closed to vessel traffic and acceptance of full containers. Empty drop-offs and pick-ups are possible.
South and Central America
Brazil
Navegantes: As of 10 April, one vessel is in port and two at anchor. Access to the port can be intermittently interrupted by heavy rainfall, which increases waiting times.
In addition, due to civil works on port infrastructure, arrival windows are suspended. During this period, only one vessel can berth at a time. The construction will occur in two phases, with only one side of the pier operational.
Completion is anticipated in the second half of 2025. The upgrade aims to improve port infrastructure, facilitating the berthing of larger vessels.
Paranagua: Terminal congestion and weather interruptions keep vessel waiting times above 3 days this week. TCP yard density is high, impacting productivity.
Santos: Late vessels are waiting up to 5 days for a berth at terminals in Santos. Pier 1 at the BTP terminal is under repairs until 10 July.
Chile
Several ports in Chile witnessed strikes last week, which suspended all operations until 21:00. The strikes are now limited to the port of Coronel, where no vessel operations and container movements in and out of the port are possible until 21:00 daily. The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to 2 days in Coronel.
Further to this, empty container repositioning by rail is suspended at Lirquen, San Vicente and Coronel due to damages to rail bridges at Longavi and Lircay until further notice.
Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Trucking shortages persist in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, causing delays in import and export movements. Container pick-up from ports is subject to trucking slot availability.
Stay Ahead Stay Informed: Register for seaexplorer for the latest disruptions and vessel waiting times at global container ports.
