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 Africa, Asia Oceania, Europe, Middle East-Indian Subcontinent, North America, and South and Central America.   

Africa

Algeria

Congestion at Algerian ports remains the same as last week. In Algiers, ships wait an average of 3.5 days for a berth. Seaexplorer shows seven vessels anchored outside Algiers at the time of publication. In Djen-Djen, waiting times can be up to 14 days. In Skikda, maintenance work on the Marinella quay and congestion are resulting in waiting times of 8.5 days.

Ivory Coast

Abidjan: Congestion has increased in Abidjan, evidenced by the rise in the average waiting time for vessels to 4 days and the number of ships at anchor reaching seven this week.

Kenya

Mombasa: Berthing delays can be up to 5 days due to high yard density, equipment failures and weather-related delays.

Morocco

Due to congestion, some carriers report waiting times of 3-5 days in Casablanca and 3-4 days in Tanger Med. According to seaexplorer, five vessels are at anchor in Casablanca.

South Africa

• The United National Transport Union (UNTU), which represents more than 46,000 port and rail workers, has entered into discussions with a third-party arbitrator to resolve a wage dispute this week. Should the talks fail, the union will issue a 48-hour strike notice. The discussions were planned for 14 and 15 May.
• The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 has received components for the first two of four ship-to-shore cranes. The first two cranes are planned to be operational in October, followed by two more in November. The new equipment will replace old, failing equipment, boosting productivity ahead of the Christmas rush.
• Congestion-related delays in Europe and other regions are affecting vessel schedules calling South Africa and other African Trades.

Cape Town: Vessel waiting times vary per service in Cape Town. At CTCT, vessels are waiting up to 8 days, but this is expected to reduce due to favourable weather and terminal recovery plans. Transporters are still facing challenges with terminal bookings, as slot allocations are delayed and gate access remains strictly regulated.

Durban: The container terminals are operating without any significant delays. At Pier 1 and Point terminals, waiting time can be up to 2 days. At Pier 2, vessels berth on arrival. On the landside, no delays and/or slot booking issues have been reported.

Asia Oceania

China

Congestion remains high in Shanghai, Ningbo, and Qingdao. This week, the number of waiting vessels in the Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage increased to 130. In Qingdao, 20 vessels are currently at anchor.

Congestion and equipment challenges in China are expected due to the backlog of transpacific cargo being shipped in the next weeks. Congestion can also be expected at destination ports in the US.

New Zealand

Tauranga: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.5 days. The port is working through a significant vessel backlog and elevated container volumes from wind disruptions. Yard congestion is directly impacting productivity. No early receivals of exports will be accepted.

India

Although India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire, the bans on ships and shipments remain in place. In Mundra, gate operations were suspended on 9 May from 22:00 until 06:00 on 10 May. Waiting times in Mundra have increased to over 1.5 days this week, and the number of waiting vessels currently stands at eight. Carriers report that ports are working normally in India

Pakistan

Several carriers have announced rerouting Pakistan cargo via transhipment ports in Colombo, Singapore, and Khalifa. As a result, congestion is expected to build at these ports. Ports in Pakistan are operating normally.

Europe

Northern Europe

Port congestion is significantly extending transit times for services due to a combination of factors affecting major ports in North Europe, such as Antwerp, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven. The congestion is primarily caused by delays in berthing, where vessels sometimes wait 7-10 days for a free berth. This situation was brought about by operational disruptions since the start of this year, including dense fog, labour strikes, and the implementation of new services within alliances. Additionally, high yard utilisation, reaching over 92%, further impacts productivity and causes delays.

Emergency measures, such as modifying berth priorities and reducing export delivery windows, are being implemented to ease congestion, but these actions also contribute to extended transit times of 10-14 days. Consequently, transit times from North Europe to destinations like the Arab Gulf have increased from the usual 40-45 days to 55-70 days, and in some cases up to 90 days.

Belgium

Antwerp: The port is currently experiencing several operational challenges, including a backlog from strikes, critical yard capacity, an imbalance between import and export cargo, and berthing window adjustments for the alliance reshuffle. Barge delays are up to 94 hours.

In addition, another national strike has been announced in Belgium for 20 May 2025. No shipping operations will be handled in Antwerp on that day. Given the already strained situation at the terminals, this will pose additional challenges for container arrivals and departures.

As a result, PSA has announced that from 22:00 on 19 May to 06:00 on 21 May, no export deliveries will be possible at terminals 869 and 913. Only import operations will be handled during this period. Additionally, timeslots will be reduced. All timeslots will be available again starting 24 May 2025. Currently, there are no special regulations for other terminals.

Customers are encouraged to plan for delays during and after the strike. Read more

Germany

Hamburg:

• CTA: The yard is at critical levels, and delivery restrictions remain in place. The terminal is aiming to speed backlog recovery after Labour Day closures by restricting vessel operations and moving vessels to other terminals. Carriers report some vessels waiting 5 -11 days for a berth. Backlog and challenges are expected to remain due to anticipated vessel bunching this week. Current rail delays are around 12 hours.

• CTB: Current rail delays at this terminal are 5 hours. On 11 May, the CMA CGM Ermitage collided with a quay on the Elbe River, damaging the quay wall and a gantry crane. The gantry crane is temporarily inoperable, and the vessel is being detained at the port for investigation. This incident may have an impact on productivity and berthing schedules for vessels calling CTB. Read more

• CTH: Yard capacity is critical at this terminal, impacting productivity.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• Delta II: A labour shortage is causing significant operational bottlenecks at this terminal. Custom scans, inter-terminal transfers, and transhipments are limited. Furthermore, the terminal is limiting the number of moves on vessels due to the lack of staff. The terminal has cancelled all fixed windows, making it challenging to ensure scheduled departures and appointments for barges.

• APM Terminals Maasvlakte II: The terminal yard is expected to rise above the acceptable conditions this week, which could impact productivity

• RWG: Yard utilisation has increased to above the workable threshold and is impacting productivity. During the last week, RWG had to reduce crane deployment and limit discharge operations to avoid yard congestion. The terminal attributes this increase to prolonged dwell times for import and transhipment containers.

As a temporary measure, the terminal has stopped accepting empty containers from all carriers until the yard is back under control. Despite these challenges, the line-up remains fully occupied, and there is sufficient labour available to handle operations.

Delays to barges in Rotterdam are currently 68 hours.

Sweden

The Swedish Dockworkers Union has announced a six-hour strike on 21 May between 12:00 and 18:00 at all Swedish ports. They have also issued notices of strikes at specific port companies at various times between 21 and 26 May. The Transport Workers’ Union has announced a blockade, including overtime and the hiring of personnel, starting on 21 May in all Swedish ports.

The negotiations are being led centrally by Sveriges Hamnar, representing the ports. As negotiations are ongoing, there is still a possibility for a resolution before the industrial actions begin. If the strikes do take place, they are likely to cause cargo delays, container handling disruptions, vessel rerouting to other ports, and increased pressure on rail and road transport. The ports affected are Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Gävle, Norrköping, Halmstad, Norvik, Södertälje.

United Kingdom

London Gateway Port: Yard utilisation is around 79%, with reefer utilisation at 80%. Severe berth congestion is taking place, leading to vessel diversions to Liverpool or Southampton. Additional labour from Southampton is in place, and block stacking is operational. Extra yard space is allocated for rail feed stacks, and rail failures are reducing but not eradicated. According to seaexplorer, five vessels were at anchor at the time of publishing.

Southampton: The terminal is around 103%. utilisation with reefers at 80%. The port continues to support London Gateway with diverted vessels.

Meditteraean

Greece

Piraeus: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has decreased this week to around 2 days. Four vessels were waiting at anchor at the time of publication. Four vessels were waiting at anchor at the time of publishing.

Italy

Heavy congestion at the port of Trieste results in partial discharge operations, and containers are then discharged in Alexandria for further transfer. These containers can be delayed for up to two weeks.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Cargo arriving in the Middle East from Europe is delayed due to the congestion at European ports. As a result, transit times are extended and cannot be guaranteed. Read more on congestion in Northern Europe above.

Bangladesh

Chittagong (Chattogram): Yard congestion is around 70% and not yet at a favourable level. Insufficient logistical support and crane breakdowns are lowering productivity significantly. On average, vessels occupy a berth for 2 – 3 days. Due to a train shortage, dwell time for Dhaka ICD-bound imports is 7- 10 days for a 20ft and 2-3 days for a 40ft.

Sri Lanka

Colombo: The port is severely challenged by vessel bunching and congestion. There are 11 vessels at anchor currently. Seaexplorer shows nine vessels at anchor at the time of publishing.

North America

Canada

Average import rail dwell time for Canadian cargo (Vessel arrival to departure rail ramp):

• Halifax: 4 days
• Montreal: 11 days
• Prince Rupert: 8 days
• Saint John: 5 days
• Vancouver: 10 days

Vancouver: The average vessel waiting time remains high in Vancouver due to several vessels arriving at the port at the same time (vessel bunching) and port congestion. At the time of publishing, six vessels were waiting for a berth.

Mexico

All export truck assignment times increased from 72 hr to 96 hr due to lower import volumes.

Lazaro Cardenas: Ferrovalle bonded services are currently on hold because customs protection is issuing many fines, and importers are not releasing their cargo to avoid additional costs. Rail delays are occurring due to a high export volume. The average delay for rail imports and exports is 48 hours and 72 hours.

Manzanillo: There are currently rail delays due to a high export volume. The average delay for rail imports and exports is 72 hours. Contecon and SSA are congested due to high volume and protests by customs workers. Operations were stopped on Monday, 12 May, for 10 hours, and on 14 May, operations from 16:00.

Veracruz: There are currently rail delays due to a high export volume. The average delay for rail imports is 48 hours, and for rail exports, it is 72 hours.

United States

Average import rail dwell and transit time for US cargo (Vessel discharge to destination ramp):

• Montreal: 10 days
• Prince Rupert: 15 days
• Vancouver: 14 days
• Charleston: 4 days
• Houston: 12 days
• Los Angeles: 11 days
• Long Beach: 10 days
• New York: 8 days
• Norfolk: 7 days
• Savannah: 4 days

South and Central America

Transhipment ports Rodman, Cartagena, Kingston and Freeport are struggling to handle the increase in cargo volumes, resulting in significant delays of one week to one month for transhipment cargo.

Costa Rica

Caldera: The port is currently congested with a 7-day average vessel waiting time of around 8 days. Port infrastructure is not able to cope with the volumes, leading to fluctuating levels of disruptions.

Guatemala

Puerto Santo Tomas de Castilla: The port is experiencing significant congestion and operational delays due to increased import and export volumes, exacerbated by the ongoing reefer season. This situation has also disrupted inland transportation. The limited capacity has restricted the entry of export equipment, and the retrieval of import containers has slowed considerably.

Jamaica

Kingston: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.87 days. The port is severely affected by several vessels arriving at the same time. On-window vessels do not experience berthing delays, but off-window ships can wait up to 7 days.

Nicaragua

Corinto: The yard density is high, and vessels can wait up to 10 days before operations begin at the port.

How Kuehne+Nagel calculates the 7-day average vessel waiting time

Mainline container vessels may spend a certain number of days waiting at designated anchorage areas before their scheduled port call. 

To calculate the 7-day average waiting time, we consider the waiting days of these vessels, 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 
• Vessels passing through the anchorage area without intending to call at the port. 

This rolling average is based on the data from the last seven days and is updated daily in seaexplorer.  

To find the latest waiting time for a port, enter the port name or code in the search bar and select the relevant option. 

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