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

Algiers: Due to congestion, the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5 days. To improve congestion, the Port Authority is diverting vessels to Djen-Djen.

Bejaia: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 1.33 days; however, due to congestion, some can wait up to 14 days.

Djen-Djen: The port is currently congested, with waiting times of up to 14 days due to re-routed cargo from Algiers.

Oran: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.00 days due to congestion.

Skikda: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5 days due to congestion.

Libya

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

South Africa

Cape Town: The 7-day waiting time has increased further due to wind delays. There are currently four vessels waiting outside the port.

Durban: While the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days, some vessels can wait between 5-7 days. There are currently two ships waiting at anchor.

Asia Oceania

China

Waiting times remain elevated at Chinese ports. In Shanghai and Ningbo, port congestion and fog closures continue to delay vessels. The number of vessels at anchor this week is 121 compared to last week's 157.

In Qingdao, maintenance works are impacting berth utilisation. This will continue until the end of April, rendering congestion more dynamic and complex. The number of waiting vessels has increased to 57 this week.

In addition, congestion has increased at Tianjin this week, with 15 vessels waiting at anchor.

Indonesia

Jakarta: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.71 days.

Surabaya: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 1.25 days. Due to congestion, some vessels can wait up to 3 days.

Japan

Port workers in all Japanese ports will hold 24-hour strikes on 20 and 27 April and 11 May. The strikes will halt all port and vessel operations nationwide. Read more

Malaysia

Port Klang: Due to berth congestion, the average vessel waiting time is around 1.3 days.. Some vessels can wait up to 4 days. Yard congestion is above 80%, reducing productivity.

New Zealand

Auckland: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2 days due to a system update over the weekend. The port is preparing for a low-pressure system bringing high winds starting Wednesday night. All reasonable precautions with vessels will be taken, including requesting some vessels move to sea.

Container terminal operations will be stopped for 36 hours from 19:00 hours on Wednesday, 16 April. For multi-cargo, operations will cease if heavy weather protocol is triggered. Reefer monitoring will continue, with added safety measures in place. Full container terminal operations are expected to resume at 07:00, Friday, 18 April.

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

Tauranga: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1 day. Due to ex-tropical cyclone Tam, the container terminal has suspended all vessel operations from 18:00 on 16 April.

The system is expected to impact the region for the next 36 – 48 hours, making cargo operations unsafe. The port will reassess conditions on Thursday morning to resume operations. However, the forecast suggests disruptions may last into Friday. A 36-hour delay can be expected.

Philippines

Manila: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.19 days due to port congestion.

Singapore

Singapore: Vessel waiting time is more than 1 day due to congestion. Some carriers are diverting vessels from Port Klang to Singapore due to congestion in Port Klang. This could result in an increase in congestion and waiting times in Singapore in the coming weeks.

Europe

Congestion at Northern European Ports

Port congestion and delays remain at critical levels at Northern European ports. Network phase-ins, high volumes, and vessels arriving outside their berthing windows have caused serious congestion and delays to waterside operations. The situation is not expected to improve for the next 3-4 months until networks stabilise and yard congestion eases.

Furthermore, water levels have dropped further in the River Rhine, measuring below acceptable levels at all three measuring points: Kaub, Cologne, and Duisburg Ruhrort. Due to the low water levels, barge capacity will be limited to/from several terminals. Feeder services between Antwerp and Rotterdam are not affected. The low barge capacity will add pressure to a strained rail network and truck availability.

Belgium

Antwerp

• PSA: Yard utilisation is high at 91% and reefers at 89%, causing berthing delays. PSA Antwerp has reduced the export delivery window from seven days to five days to manage terminal congestion. An overall backlog due to the strike on 31 March persists.

Germany

Hamburg

• CTA: The yard is under pressure again this week. Due to the spring and Easter holidays, labour shortages are expected to impact the vessel lineup.Gate-in restrictions are still in effect.

• CTB: Gate-in restrictions have reduced yard utilisation to around 75%. The berthing lineup is 100% utilised with mainline vessels and feeders.

• CTH: The container yard is highly utilised, impacting productivity. Labour will be limited during the Easter weekend.

Bremerhaven: Yard utilisation at NTB is manageable. Labour shortages during the spring and Easter holidays could result in lower productivity.

Netherlands

Rotterdam

•  ECT: Yard utilisation is now manageable. Labour shortages are due to the holiday period. Delay to feeders is 48-72 hours, and to barges is between 24 and 48 hours. Berth capacity is expected to return to normal around 20 April after new cranes are installed.

• DELTA II: Yard utilisation is around 61%. This terminal also faces a labour shortage. A crane breakdown caused delays to the lineup.

• RWG: Yard utilisation is around 78%. The lineup remains full, and productivity is stable.

• MVII: Yard utilisation is around 85% at this terminal, with carriers reporting no operational challenges

Meditteranean Ports

Greece

Piraeus: Due to congestion, the average vessel waiting time is around 5 days. Some carriers can wait up to 7 days for a berth. Seaexplorer currently shows 10 ships at anchor.

Italy

Genoa: The average vessel waiting time is around 2 days this week. Some ships can wait up to 3 days for a berth. The carrier service reshuffle is causing these delays, which impact connecting feeders for transhipments. There are currently four vessels at anchor.

Slovenia

Koper: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days due to congestion. Due to current closures and capacity limitations, rail availability is changing on a daily basis. This is resulting in a delay in rail cargo transport.

Spain

Waiting times at Valencia and Barcelona remain above 2 days this week. The number of waiting vessels at Valencia anchorage is currently around five, and in Barcelona, two vessels are waiting for a berth.

United Kingdom

London Gateway Port: Yard utilisation remains high. The ongoing 10-year crane maintenance is steadily progressing from crane to crane along the quay. The line-up is facing challenges with the phase-in and phase-out calls. Additionally, the terminal is reducing transhipment moves. Over the Easter weekend, the port will remain open and land and waterside operations will continue as normal.

Trucks faced considerable disruptions this week. Due to prolonged turnaround times, vehicles were unable to access the port. Consequently, VBS bookings were extended by 2 hours. Truck pickups and deliveries were delayed.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong (Chattogram): Berth congestion has worsened due to reduced working hours at the port in March, but improvement is expected in April. Delivery slowdowns have caused import containers to accumulate, leading to congestion at Chattogram port. As a result, cargo handling productivity has dropped, and vessels are overstaying at the berth(2-3 days), particularly at CCT and NCT yards. The situation may normalise by the end of this week or next week.

Sri Lanka

Colombo: The port is challenged by vessel bunching and congestion, causing delays in vessel schedules and transhipments.

North America

Canada

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

• Halifax: 8 days
• Montreal: 10 days
• Prince Rupert: 13 days
• Saint John: 7 days
• Vancouver: 13 days

Vancouver: The average waiting time has improved in Vancouver this week; however, rail delays remain high due to a constrained network. Two vessels are currently at anchor.

United States

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

• Montreal: 5 days
• Prince Rupert: 13 days
• Vancouver: 18 days
• Charleston: 6 days
• Houston: 10 days
• Los Angeles: 13 days
• Long Beach: 10 days
• New York: 7 days
• Norfolk: 7 days
• Savannah: 5 days

Savannah: Congestion outside the port has reduced significantly to just 3 vessels this week. The waiting time has also improved. 

South and Central America

El Salvador

Acajutla: The 7-day average vessel time is around 10 days. Docks A-1 and A-2 are presently undergoing essential maintenance. Due to these constraints, the dock crane is currently out of service. Consequently, vessels encounter substantial delays before commencing their operations.

Guatemala

The ports of Puerto Barrios and Puerto Santo Tomas de Castilla are facing significant congestion and operational delays due to increased import and export volumes compounded by the ongoing reefer season. Additionally, the situation at the ports has disrupted inland transportation. The entry of export equipment has been restricted due to limited capacity, and the retrieval of import containers has slowed considerably.

Jamaica

Kingston: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 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 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.8 days, and yard density is high. 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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