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: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to above 4 days this week. Import yard occupancy is above 80%.
Ghana
Tema: Heavy rains and power outages reduced port productivity in Tema last week. Vessel waiting time has increased slightly to 2.83 days.
Nigeria
Lagos: Export yard density is over 100% at APM Terminals, causing a delay in vessel berthing. The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased this week to 4 days.
Saudi Arabia
Dammam: On account of bad weather, the port closed last week. Vessel waiting time has increased to over 3 days this week. Dammam is receiving a large percentage of Jeddah cargo, increasing yard density. Due to truck shortages, a 3-4 week delay can be expected for local carriage.
South Africa:
Cape Town: Adverse weather keeps waiting time in Cape Town at 4 days on average. Some vessels can wait up to 6 days.
Durban: Vessel waiting time has improved in Durban this week to under 4 days. Some vessels can wait up to 19 days due to equipment challenges and shortages. Carriers report that the new CTOC process, a fixed berthing window strategy introduced on 1 May, has improved productivity at the port. There are currently 5 vessels at anchor in Durban.
Port Elizabeth: Vessel waiting time has improved to 2 days this week. At the time of publishing, one waiting vessel was at anchor. In previous weeks, the port faced dense fog, strong winds, and equipment breakdowns.
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam: The 7-day vessel waiting time has exceeded 10 days this week. Heavy rains and equipment shortages impacted productivity at the port. The port received new gantry cranes, which will come into operation in May.
UAE
Jebel Ali: Vessel waiting time has increased to more than 3 days this week due to vessel bunching, labour shortage and equipment challenges. High yard density has impacted the inter-terminal transfers and reduced productivity.
Asia Pacific
China
As shown in the table above, Chinese ports show some slight improvements in waiting time. While some ports have stabilised, others, such as Shanghai and Ningbo, are dealing with a high number of calls and berthing congestion.
India
Ennore: A power outage, which began on 5 May, has caused berthing delays at the port. The port authority is working on restoring power but has not given an end date. Only two cranes using gensets are available, reducing productivity.
Other regional terminals, including the Chennai Port area, are experiencing vessel bunching, gate congestion, and long truck queues. These challenges are expected to normalise in 2-3 weeks.
To prevent lengthy berthing wait times, Kuehne+Nagel anticipates void sailings and vessel omissions in the upcoming weeks.
Kuehne+Nagel is closely assessing the circumstances to reduce the delays and develop a backup plan.
Sri Lanka
Colombo: Heavy congestion continues due to the increase in the number of vessels calling the port. AT CICT productivity is reduced due to vessel bunching, adverse weather and delays in inter-terminal transfers. At the time of publishing 9 vessels were at anchor.
Malaysia
Port Klang: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.15 days. According to seaexplorer, there were 21 vessels at anchor at the time of publishing.
Singapore
Singapore: The average vessel waiting time is unchanged this week at around 1.8 days. Singapore faces an increase in vessel calls and high yard density, which is leading to delays in berthing operations and line-up. At the time of publication, the sea explorer showed 33 vessels at anchor outside Singapore.
Europe
Belgium
Antwerp: The PSA 913 terminal is facing high yard congestion, impacting productivity there. Yard utilisation at other terminals is around 60%.
Germany
Hamburg: May holiday closures, software updates and the closure of two berths for construction are increasing congestion at Hamburg CTB. At Hamburg CTA, shore-power construction has reduced the number of berths available by one. Yard utilisation is high and expected to increase over the holiday period when import pickups will be limited.
A high slot shortage at terminals, especially Eurograte, is causing delays in container pick/up and drop-offs. At the terminal, drivers are waiting several hours to receive or deliver containers.
According to Kuehne+Nagel, there are severe rail delays. In addition to Eurogate/Eurokombi, Bukai is also affected, with delays of up to 12 hours.
Additionally, from 18 May, 00:00 to 20 May, 24:00, rail access to the port will be completely closed due to construction work. As a result, further train cancellations are expected, adding to delays.
Greece
Piraeus: Heavy congestion persists, increasing the vessel waiting time to 6.5 days. Strike and holiday closures earlier this month have contributed to congestion at the port.
Thessaloniki: Due to a quay crane being out of service until mid-May, congestion has increased at the port. The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days.
Netherlands
Rotterdam: Due to increased volumes handled at the port, yard occupancy is over 80%. Seaexplorer showed 21 vessels at anchor in the Rotterdam-Antwerp area at the time of publishing.
Italy
Naples: Truck drivers blocked access to the Port of Naples in a spontaneous demonstration on 15 May to complain about critical issues that have impacted their operations for years. According to local media, the port has been witnessing reduced operations and a slowdown in container handling. The situation is expected to be resolved during a meeting planned tomorrow.
Spain
Algeciras: Carriers report increased yard occupancy and limited reefer plugs on peak days.
Barcelona: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.4 days due to the increase in the number of ships calling the port. The port recently revised its prioritisation of vessels to improve waiting time and vessel handling.
North America
Canada
Vancouver: Vessel waiting time remains elevated due to high yard utilisation and limited rail cars. Rail dwell is around 10 days.
USA
Baltimore: A piece of the Francis-Scott bridge that rested on the Dali was demolished on Monday, 10 May, freeing the Dali. Authorities expect to refloat the ship later this week and aim to reopen the channel to shipping on 1 June.
Charleston: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to around 2 days due to construction at one of Wando Welch Terminal berths. This berth is expected to be out of service for around a year.
South and Central America
Rio Grande: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days. The bar was partially closed last week due to strong currents, which restricted berthing manoeuvres.
Puerto Alegre: Heavy rainfall began again last week, increasing the flood quota and the risk of mudslides. These risks and the devastation caused by the flooding have resulted in a large evacuation of people. Delays and disruptions to cargo transport are highly likely. The port and airport of Alegre remain closed.
Santos: Volumes diverted from neighbouring ports have increased congestion. Off-window vessels are waiting between 1 and 5 days for a berth. On-time vessels could wait up to 2 days for a berth.
Chile
Coronel: As the port strike continues past day 40, Puerto Coronel requests government assistance in the negotiations. Due to the strikes, vessel operations and container movements in and out of the port are not possible until 21:00 daily. Empty positioning by rail is currently suspended.
Antofagasta: Roadblocks impacted cargo movement on route 5 in La Negra sector yesterday due to a truckers' strike. Kuehne+Nagel sources reported that several carriers in the area faced a shortage of trucking availability.
Guatemala
Puerto Quetzal: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days due to high yard density.
Panama
Panama Canal: Effective Thursday, 16 May, the number of daily transits through the Panamax Locks will increase from 17 to 24, bringing the total number of daily transits through the canal to 31.
From 1 June, the Panama Canal Authority will increase the number of transits through the Neopanamax locks by one, increasing the total number of daily transits to 32.
Following transit increases, from 15 June, the authority will raise the draft restriction for the Neopanamax locks from the current limit of 13.41 meters (44 feet) to 13.71 meters (45 feet).
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