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

Seaexplorer data shows 110 vessels currently waiting in the Shanghai-Ningbo area, slightly lower than last week's 115 vessels. Due to berth congestion, waiting times in Shanghai remain above 2 days this week. In Ningbo, vessels wait less than 1.5 days.

The port closed on account of high winds in Qingdao and Shantou, which may cause some delays.

Busan continues to face congestion due to vessel bunching. The seaexplorer alert map shows 5 vessels at anchor.

In Manila, port congestion has resulted in vessels waiting 2.5 days on average for a berth.

Europe

In recent weeks, key ports in Europe and the UK have faced adverse winter weather conditions, resulting in intermittent stoppages and delays. This week, Rotterdam and Antwerp experienced dense fog, which closed the ports until visibility improved. These closures have delayed both ship and landside operations.

At Rotterdam ECT, there is s uncertainty around labour contract negotiations as talks have stalled. No strikes have been announced, and the terminal is operating normally.

In the UK, congestion has caused some vessels to omit ports and discharge containers at alternative locations. In addition, port operations were also disrupted this week due to dense fog.

Hamburg and Bremerhaven, report rail delays of 6-8 hours due to high demand and operational issues. Berths remain fully occupied, and the terminals manage yard congestion by implementing delivery restrictions.

Middle East Africa

Algeria

Algiers: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.5 days.

Angola

Luanda: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days.

Ghana

Tema: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.26 days. 

Libya

Benghazi: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.33 days. 

Mozambique

The risk of disruptions due to political unrest is still present. For Beira, the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 19 days. 

In Maputo, ships can wait up to 4 days for a berth. Strong winds are forecast in Mozambique until the end of this week, which could impact port operations. 

Republic of the Congo

Pointe Noire: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.23 days. 

South Africa

Durban: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1.5 days but some vessels can wait up to 5 days at Pier 1 and 10 days at Pier 2. Strong winds hampered port operations this week. 

Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5 days. 

The Gambia

Banjul: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 8 days. 

North America

Canada

Vessels calling Vancouver Centerm and Prince Rupert are facing berthing delays.

Average rail dwell times for Canadian cargo:

• Price Rupert: 7 days
• Vancouver: 13 days
• Halifax: 10 days
• Montreal: 11 days.
• Saint John: 8 days

United States

US East Coast and Gulf ports continue to face weather delays, elevating vessel waiting times. According to seaexplorer, 5 ships are at anchor in Savannah and 6 in Charleston. Further north, 5 vessels wait in Norfolk and 3 in New York.

In Chicago, only one of the five cranes at NS Landers is in service, resulting in long waits for drivers at the rail terminal.

Average rail dwell times for US cargo:

• Montreal: 12 days
• Prince Rupert: 4 days
• Vancouver: 5 days
• Charleston: 2 days
• Houston: 6 days
• Los Angeles: 7 days
• Long Beach: 6 days
• New York: 5 days
• Norfolk: 3 days
• Savannah: 2 days

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.

Rio De Janeiro: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days.

Santos: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days. On 19 January, maintenance will be carried out on the electrical substation at the BTP terminal in Santos. For this reason, operations will be halted from 06:00 to 19:00 on that day. The pre-gate and gate-out gates will be blocked from 06:00 to 19:00, and there will be no ship operations during this period. The expected return for scheduling after maintenance will be at 21:00.

El Salvador

Acajutla: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 7 days.

Panama

Cristobal: The 7-day vessel waiting time is around 6.25 days.

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.