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

Algerian ports continue to face congestion. In Algiers, waiting time has increased to 5.5 days this week. At the time of publication, seaexplorer showed six vessels anchored outside Algiers.

In Djen-Djen, waiting times can be up to 14 days, and in Skikda, maintenance work on the Marinella quay and congestion are resulting in waiting times of 7.5 days. Vessels wait on average 2.5-3.5 days in Oran, Annaba and Bejaia.

Libya

Tripoli: Due to the ongoing security situation in Tripoli, port operations have been suspended until further notice. Hapag-Lloyd will temporarily suspend all vessel calls to and from Tripoli and will not accept any new bookings related to this port. Read more

Morocco

Casablanca: Carriers report that the waiting time for vessels is currently around 6 to 10 days. This congestion relates to bad weather in February and March, and recent strikes at the terminals.

The terminal operator is actively working to improve the situation. A surplus of empty containers is slowing down terminal operations. As a solution, the terminal is prioritising extra loaders to transport these empties and thus streamline terminal operations.

Tanger Med: Carriers report waiting times of up to 4 days due to congestion.

South Africa

• According to reports, the CCMA Commissioner issued a detailed report for all stakeholders to analyse and digest. All stakeholders now have until 10 June to accept or reject the submitted proposal. Should the latest proposal not satisfy union demands, they will most likely proceed with industrial action with a 48-hour notice.

• 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, but have improved since last week. At CTCT, vessels are waiting up to 2 days, down from last week's 8 days. At MPT, ships berth on arrival. Landside issues have also improved this week, and container movements are efficient. Adverse weather is expected in Cape Town this week.

Durban: The container terminals are operating without any significant delays. At Pier 1, waiting time is between 1 and 4 days. At Pier 2, vessels berth on arrival, and at the Point terminal, ships can wait up to 2 days for a berth.

On the landside, no delays and/or slot booking issues have been reported. DCT Pier 1 and 2 were windbound for 3 hours this week. Further adverse weather is expected later this week.

Port Elizabeth: The Ngqura Container Terminal is experiencing technical issues with the Auto Gate system. Consequently, the terminal has switched to manual operations, which will slow down all terminal activities. High swells and winds interrupted port operations at NCT and PECT this week.

Asia Oceania

China

The average vessel waiting time has increased in Ningbo and Qingdao, while Shanghai remains stable. This week, the number of waiting vessels in the Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage decreased to 128. In Qingdao, 46 vessels are at anchor compared to 20 last week.

The sudden pause of US-China tariffs has led to a significant surge in cargo bookings from China to the US, which could cause port congestion and equipment shortages due to the inability to reposition empty containers back to China. This situation is expected to worsen in June as importers rush to move peak season cargo before the new tariff deadline of 14 August. When demand fell, carriers moved transpacific vessels to other trades and announced blank sailings for May. The repositioning of these vessels will take time, leading to a sudden shortage of vessel capacity.

Malaysia

Port Klang: Due to berth congestion, the average vessel waiting time is around 1.46 days. Some vessels can wait up to 2.5 days. Yard congestion is around 90%, reducing productivity.

New Zealand

Tauranga: The vessel backlog is taking longer than expected to clear, with the terminal now in its fifth week of recovery. Progress has been slowed by ongoing weather disruptions and higher-than-forecast volumes, especially for reefers and empty containers. As long as utilisation remains close to 100%, vessel productivity will continue to be below optimal levels. The port is not allowing the early gate-in of exports.

Singapore

Singapore: The port is seeing several vessels arrive at once. According to seaexplorer, 38 vessels are currently at anchor. Transhipment cargo is delayed by 1-2 weeks.

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 of 7-10 days. Operational disruptions, including dense fog, labour strikes, and the implementation of new services within alliances, have brought about this situation since the start of this year. This has resulted in extensive delays, last-minute schedule changes, vessel phase-out / phase-in, cut-off time amendments with little to no notice and vessels performing “cut and run” at various ports to regain schedules.

Additionally, high yard utilisation, reaching over 92%, further impacts port 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: Unions in Belgium called a National Day of Action on Tuesday, 20 May. This caused the delay of several vessels in and out of Antwerp, resulting in a severe backlog that will require time to clear. Due to an import-export imbalance, yards are severely congested, with some terminals reaching 100%. Barge delays are 96-144 hours.

Germany

Congestion remains high at Hamburg and Bremerhaven terminals. The upcoming Pentecost holiday will create a vessel backlog, adding further pressure. While terminals are operating with good labour and productivity, the overall conditions have extended the transit times for all cargo.

France

Le Havre: Carriers report berthing delays of 6 days.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• ECT: The terminal restricted the number of trucks entering the port earlier this week, leading to long queues and high turnaround times. The situation has since eased, and turnaround times are near normal. The yard is heavily congested, and the terminal is restricting the number of inter-terminal transfers. Barge delays are between 48 and 72 hours at this terminal. A labour shortage is anticipated in the first week of June due to summer holidays.

• Delta II: A labour shortage is causing significant operational bottlenecks at this terminal. Custom scans, inter-terminal transfers, and transhipments are limited. Furthermore, the operator 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. Barge delays are between 72 and 96 hours.

• APM Terminals Maasvlakte II: The terminal remains congested, but carriers report no major issues. Barge options are limited at this terminal, delaying transhipment cargo. Current barge delays are between 24 and 36 hours.

• RWG: Yard utilisation eased slightly, allowing empty containers to be accepted once again. However, yard congestion is still a challenge, and the operator requests the accelerated pick-up of cargo. Barge delays are between 48 and 72 hours.

UK

London Gateway: Cargo destined for London Gateway is experiencing longer transit times due to erratic vessel rotations and unscheduled transhipment. Cargo is either being discharged in Southampton or Rotterdam, extending delays and transit times. At the port, yard utilisation for dry and reefer containers has improved. The berth is still congested, leading to vessel diversions to Liverpool or Southampton. Additional labour from Southampton is in place, and block stacking is operational. Rail failures and landside delays are improving.

Southampton: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.61 days. The terminal utilisation has improved. The port continues to support London Gateway with diverted vessels.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong (Chattogram): Yard congestion is around 75%. Vessels are occupying a berth for 2-3 days per call.

India

Although India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire, the bans on ships and shipments remain in place. Waiting times in Mundra had increased to over 2 days this week, and the number of waiting vessels currently stands at seven. 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.

Sri Lanka

Colombo: The port is severely challenged by vessel bunching and congestion. Some carriers have rerouted Pakistan cargo via Colombo which could increase congestion further. The average delay of transhipment cargo in Colombo is 1-2 weeks. At the time of publishing, seaexplorer showed 16 vessels at anchor, up from last week's nine.

North America 

Canada

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

• Halifax: 3 days
• Montreal: 8 days
• Prince Rupert: 8 days
• Saint John: 5 days
• Vancouver: 9 days

Mexico

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. Customers are requested to dispatch their cargo in Manzanillo until this situation improves. Rail delays are occurring due to a high export volume. The average delay for rail imports and exports is 48 hours and 72 hours, respectively. The export truck assignment times are 48 hours.

Manzanillo: Carriers report berthing delays of up to 2 days. Contecon and SSA remain congested even though customs protests have ended. A backlog will impact gate-in for exports and gate-out for imports during the coming days. Export truck assignment times require 48 hours, and imports require 48-72 hours. Due to high export volumes, there are currently rail delays. The average delay for rail imports and exports is 72 hours.

Veracruz: Carriers report berthing delays of up to 4 days. Due to berth congestion and one pier being out of service, ICAVE Veracruz is working on FIFO basis. Additionally, high export volumes are contributing to rail delays. The import and export rail time is around 72 hours. For the export truck moves, the assignment time is 48 hours. Import truck assignments require 48-72 hours.

USA

United States

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

• Montreal: 10 days
• Prince Rupert: 10 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

New York: APMT New York is experiencing a surge in demand for gate appointments and may not be able to accommodate all requests, especially on vessel cut-off days. To mitigate this, customers are advised to deliver export cargo within the initial days after the terminal starts accepting freight for a specific vessel. The high demand, coupled with frequent changes to published vessel schedules and cut-off times, is causing additional delays and leading to containers not being loaded.

South and Central America

Colombia

Cartagena: Due to congestion, the 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1.17 days. The port is challenged by high volumes, resulting in delays to transhipment cargo.

Costa Rica

Caldera: The port is currently congested, and the current infrastructure is not able to cope with the volume influx, leading to fluctuating levels of disruptions.

Guatemala

Puerto Santo Tomas de Castilla: The port is facing significant congestion and operational delays due to increased import and export volumes compounded by the ongoing reefer season. Additionally, the situation at the port 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.

Honduras

Puerto Cortes: Carriers report waiting up to 7 days for a berth and departing the port with a week's delay. The port is challenged by a doubling of volume due to seasonal commodity increases, a high number of red-selective inspections and limited customs personnel on-site. For imports, a 48-hour advance notice is required to manage and ensure container departure. Exports require a minimum of 2 weeks' advanced notice. Strikes in Choloma could cause traffic disruptions due to local protests, affecting access to and from the port.

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. Due to high volumes, transhipment cargo is facing delays.

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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