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 Middle East Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and South and Central America.

Africa

South Africa

Cape Town: Waiting times have increased in Cape Town after five days of wind-related closures. According to the port operator, the vessel backlog should tentatively be cleared by 6 March. According to seaexplorer, two ships are currently at anchor.

Asia Oceania

China

As shown in the table above, waiting times at Chinese ports have improved over the last week. However, congestion is increasing due to schedule disruptions, vessel bunching, and fog closures. This week, 38 vessels are waiting in the Hong Kong-Yantian area. At Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage, 97 vessels are at anchor.

Europe

Carriers report high yard density and full berthing lineups at northern European ports. Additionally, strikes at French ports, Rotterdam's Hutchinson Port Delta II and Hamburg pose significant challenges. Details on the disruptions at each port can be found below.

Belgium

Antwerp: DPW Terminal is currently facing operational challenges that are affecting all handling areas. Due to severe yard congestion, the terminal is implementing emergency measures. With stacking capacity fully utilised, the port will reduce export delivery truck slots to 30% to prioritise the swift removal of import containers. Additionally, berth priorities are being adjusted to expedite the clearance of export and transhipment containers. The terminal will reject any additional import or transhipment cargo from nearby ports.

France

Strikes are ongoing at French terminals, causing significant vessel delays and high yard utilisation. Vessels arriving out of their berthing windows and the start of holidays further disrupt operations. For this week, port workers plan another four-hour strike for Friday, 28 February.

Additionally, the following strikes are planned for March :

• 4-hour strikes on 4,6,10,12,14,24,24, and 28 March
• 72-hour strikes on 18,19 and 20 March

Germany

Hamburg:

Pilots at Hamburg Port began striking on the evening of Wednesday, 26 February, halting the movement of container ships requiring pilotage in and out of the harbour. According to the Hamburg Port Authority, pilotage is expected to resume on Friday morning, provided there is no extension to the warning strike. As a result of the strike, some vessels may arrive late in Hamburg or at their subsequent ports of call. Lists of vessels in port and expected to call Hamburg are available on the Port Details page Hamburg in seaexplorer.

• CTA: Yard utilisation is around 80%, and the berthing lineup is fully booked. As a result, delivery restrictions for export containers remain in place. A gantry crane is out of service indefinitely after a fire incident in week 7.

• CTB: Yard utilisation is around 78%, and the berthing lineup is full until the end of February.

Greece

Piraeus: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.52 days due to congestion.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

• Hutchinson Port Delta II: Unannounced strikes at the terminal are causing significant delays in vessel, rail and truck movements. According to intermodal service providers, the terminal is operating at 50% of its usual capacity, and port disruptions are expected to continue until an agreement is reached. Carriers report much lower productivity and significant delays to vessel lineups, which could result in omissions to maintain schedule integrity.

• ECT: The container yard is heavily congested, impacting productivity. Labour shortages are expected to increase this week due to the spring holidays, adding further pressure to operations. Barges face 12 to 48-hour delays, and feeders 24-48 hours.

• RWG: Berth utilisation is high for both mainline and feeder vessels. Yard congestion is around 80%, resulting in the non-acceptance of empty containers. Carriers report high transhipment dwell times of around 12 days.

Ten-day closure on Rheintal railway line planned for April

The major railway corridor from Rotterdam to Basel and Genoa will undergo construction from 18 to 27 April 2025. Consequently, certain sections of the railway will be closed, specifically between Denzlingen (Emmendingen district) and Freiburg i.B., as well as between Offenburg and Orschweier (both in the Ortenau district).

Service providers are exploring alternative routes and potential barge options, which will be confirmed in due course.

United Kingdom

London Gateway Port: The port has a full berthing line-up. In addition, berths 1 and 4 have slight reductions due to a quay crane being out of service and dredging activities.

Southampton: The berth line is busy with regular and ad hoc calls. Terminal utilisation is 79% for dry and 60% for reefer containers.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong: Berthing congestion has eased in Chittagong, as evidenced by the decrease in waiting times to under 3 days. Nevertheless, Kuehne+Nagel reports that equipment operators are working at a slower pace, which is delaying the load and discharge activities and increasing port stays. The seaexplorer alert map shows 4 vessels at anchor in Chittagong. Furthermore, due to Ramadan commencing on 1 March, port working hours will be reduced by 4-6 hours daily.

North America

Winter weather results in port disruptions and vessel delays at several North American ports. As shown in the table above, vessel waiting time in Vancouver has increased to almost 8 days this week. For US East Coast and Gulf ports, waiting times range between 1.67 and 4.25 days. The number of waiting vessels at Savannah anchorage is currently 10. Around 12 vessels are at anchor in Norfolk and 5 in Houston.

Canada

Due to severe winter weather, Canadian rail operators implemented tier restrictions, which heavily disrupted cargo flow in the past weeks. Conditions have improved this week and are expected to trend positively. The restrictions have since been lifted; however, rail car availability is posing a challenge at some ports. The operators are working towards moving rail cars where needed and clearing the backlog.

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

• Halifax: 17 days
• Montreal: 10 days
• Prince Rupert: 10 days
• Saint John: 10 days
• Vancouver: 15 days

Mexico

Nationwide trucking shortages are delaying the assignment of trucks for import and exports at several ports in Mexico. In addition, rail assignments are also facing delays at certain ports. The delays are noted below.

Altamira: Assignment of truck and rail transport requires 48-72 hours.

Guymas/Ensenada/Mazatlan: Truck assignments for imports and exports require 48 hours.

Lazaro Cardenas: Import truck assignments require 48 hours. Rail assignments for imports require 72 hours, and exports 48 hours.

Manzanillo: Higher import volumes compared to export volumes limit truck availability. Truck assignments take 48 hours, and rail import and export assignments require 72 hours.

Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey: Limited truck availability is delaying truck assignments by 48 hours for imports and exports to/from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Progreso: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days. Truck appointments for import and export assignments require 48 hours notice.

Veracruz: High export demand and truck shortages are causing delays to road movements. Export truck assignments require 72-96 hours. Export rail assignments require 72 hours. For imports, truck/rail assignments require 48 hours.

United States

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

• Montreal: 7 days
• Prince Rupert: 7 days
• Vancouver: 6 days
• Charleston: 5 days
• Houston: 7 days
• Los Angeles: 8 days
• Long Beach: 10 days
• New York: 5 days

South and Central America

Guatemala

Significant congestion at Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomas De Castilla and truck shortages are affecting delivery and pickup times for cargo to and from these ports. Additionally, congestion at the border and weather-related events are delaying transport to El Salvador and Guatemala destinations. Read more

Honduras

Puerto Cortes: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.1 days due to congestion, severe weather conditions, and labour shortages.

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.

Stay Ahead Stay Informed: Register for seaexplorer for the latest disruptions and vessel waiting times at global container ports.