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
Angola
Luanda: The average vessel waiting time is around 4 days.
Cameroon
Douala: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.33 days. A gantry crane is under repair until mid-April, and reefer occupancy is high.
Côte d'Ivoire
Abidjan: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 3.38 days.
South Africa
South African ports faced high winds this week, increasing vessel waiting times.
Cape Town: The port lost 60 operational hours last week due to wind lowering productivity and increasing waiting times at the ports. No high winds are expected this week; however, waiting times have increased to over 5 days since the start of the week.
Durban: Waiting time has increased to more than 10 days since the start of the week. The port faced strong winds this week and last week. This, coupled with system and equipment issues, has lowered productivity.
Port Elizabeth/Coega: The ports were windbound last week and earlier this week, lowering productivity.
UAE
Due to adverse weather in the UAE over the past 24 hours, day-to-day operations could be delayed.
Asia Pacific
Increased congestion South East Asian hubs - Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Klang, Colombo - have delayed vessel berthing times by around 2 days.
China
Weather conditions and vessel bunching have increased waiting times at Chinese ports.
New Zealand
Timaru: Due to high flood waters, freight movement over the Rangitata Rail bridge has been suspended.
Sri Lanka
A second transhipment port began operations in Hambantota, southern Sri Lanka. It received a call from the MSC Ingrid on 9 April. The vessel discharged 500 containers which will be transferred on the MSC SKY II calling the port this week.
According to Lloyd's list, port operator Hambantota International Port Group, owned by China Merchants, plans to invest in further equipment and infrastructure to service large vessels on the East-West routes. The port is expected to ease congestion in Colombo.
Colombo: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.66 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
Extreme winds interrupted all operations at northern European and UK ports for around 24 hours this week. Some delays can be expected as vessel and cargo backlogs are cleared.
Germany
Hamburg: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 1 day. Yard utilisation is manageable at all terminals.
At CTB, system tests will interrupt operations next week for more than 24 hours. This will impact all operations at the port and extend port stays for vessels. The terminal will close berths 1 and 2 for crane decommissioning on 22 April. Two berths will be available for vessel calls.
Shore power construction at CTA has reduced the number of berths by one. The terminal expects congestion next week as a result of wind closures this week.
North America
Canada
Vancouver: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.3 days due to high yard density. Yard utilisation remains high at all terminals. Rail dwell time is 12 days on average.
USA
Baltimore: The port remains closed for vessel calls and export acceptance. Empty pick-up and deliveries are possible. General average was declared by the owners of the Dali, and cargo owners should contact their insurers as soon as possible.
According to a Maersk advisory, the two alternate channels announced to open to commercial shipping are not suitable for deepsea container vessels. The authorities have not confirmed the details of a third channel that was reported to open later this month. The viability of this channel for container vessels is yet to be determined, added Maersk.
Cargo destined for Baltimore are being served by Newark, Norfolk and Philadelphia. To keep the yard fluid at these ports, customer are requested to pick up their containers asap.
Portland: The Port of Portland will cease operations on 1 October. Financial difficulties and failure to find funding have forced the closure of the port. MSC calls this port on its Chinook service.
South and Central America
Brazil
Navegantes: Due to port construction, vessels are berthing on a FIFO basis. Carriers report waiting times could be up to 6-8 days. In addition, the port berths one vessel at a time.
Paranagua: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.24 days. Vessels arriving out of their berthing window wait, on average, 5-7 days. This is due to vessel bunching, which is caused by high yard density and low productivity.
Uruguay
A customs strike takes place on 18 April, and delays in cargo clearance can be expected.
