Supply chain disruptions and port congestion are here to stay. Find out what to expect in Kuehne+Nagel's weekly port operational update.
Cote d'Ivoire
Abidjan: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days due to port congestion and low productivity. Reefer plugs are highly utilised.
Morocco
Casablanca: Bad weather and limited working hours have caused some backlogs at the port.
Saudi Arabia
Dammam: Increased vessel waiting times due to unfavourable weather conditions, high yard density and vessels arriving off-window.
South Africa
Cape Town: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4 days due to the lack of equipment and strong winds. However, Marersk reports port productivity at CTCT has improved, and it expects the terminal to recover fully in two weeks. Productivity is still low at MPT due to crane breakdowns.
Durban: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 9 days. However, some vessels can wait up to 28 days. Equipment challenges and weather issues result in lower productivity across all terminals. At Pier 2, there are limited trucking slots. Maersk expects recovery to take 3-4 weeks and 8-12 weeks at Pier 1 and Pier 2, respectively.
Port Elizabeth: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days. One berth is unavailable at NCT until the end of March. Crane unavailability at PECT And NCT is impacting productivity. Maersk expects recovery at NCT by the beginning of April.
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 16 days due to priority berthing initiated by a government directive and congestion.
UAE
Jebel Ali: Vessel bunching and ad-hoc calls have increased waiting times. Feeder vessels can wait 2-3 days for a berth. High yard density is contributing to delays.
Australia
Sydney: Strong winds have caused some delays and backlogs at terminals in Sydney.
China
Shanghai: Waiting time at WGQ2 is around 2-3 days due to a crane installation reducing berth availability. The crane is still under commissioning. Vessel bunching is expected until this is completed.
CMA CGM reports delays to barges from Shanghai to Luzhou and Chongqing due to ship lock maintenance to the 3 Gorges of the Yangtze River. Work began on 21 February 2024 and is expected to take 45 days. Estimated transit times during maintenance are 31 and 25 days for Luzhou and Chongqing, respectively.
India
Nhava Sheva: Berth length at NSFT is restricted due to construction, which began on 1 March. There is no impact on the vessel lineup.
Sri Lanka
Colombo: The number of waiting vessels is currently around 6. Due to Red Sea diversions, the yard is overcapacity, affecting productivity.
Italy
Genoa: Civil works, which began in January around Genoa Port Sech Terminal, are expected to be completed at the end of this week. Rail services will be interrupted until completion due to these works.
Poland
Farmers blocked border crossings between Poland and Germany at Swiecko and Gubinek on 18 March. Protests are expected to continue until Wednesday, 20 March. Alternate routes will need to be taken, which could cause some delays.
Gdansk: Yard density is high, causing some delays.
Spain
Algeciras: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.1 days. The yard occupancy is high, and reefer plug availability is tight.
UK
Felixstowe: Vessel bunching has resulted in increased waiting times.
Liverpool: High Winds are expected to impact operations at the Port of Liverpool over the next 3 days. Bad weather is also forecasted at sea, so changes to the berthing schedule would be expected.
Canada
Vancouver: High yard density at some terminals is causing delays. Rail car insufficiency is resulting in high dwell times.USA
Houston: Conditions have improved at the port, reducing vessel lineup and improving waiting times this week.
Brazil
Navegantes: Due to civil works on port infrastructure, arrival windows are suspended, creating a waiting line for a berth. In addition, the port only berths one vessel at a time. Construction will be carried out in two phases, with only one side of the pier operational. Completion is expected in the second half of 2025. The port upgrade would improve infrastructure at the port, including allowing larger vessels to berth.
Santos: Yards are highly congested at the terminals in Santos. Late vessels tended to wait up to 8 days to berth, and on-time vessels can wait up to 2 days.
Costa Rica
Customs systems were running intermittently last week. This has since been resolved, and no issues are causing delays.
However, the trucker shortage persists. The situation has significantly affected truck availability, causing export and import placement delays. The departure of containers from Puerto Caldera is subject to trucking slots availability.
Mexico
Lazaro Cardenas: Carriers report improved intermodal operations. Inter-terminal transfers are still a challenge, making tight connections impossible. Yard occupancy is high.
