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

Several Algerian ports are facing severe congestion, increasing vessel waiting times to 14 days in Djen-Djen and Bejaia.

To control the congestion at Algiers, the port authority is diverting ships to Djen-Djen. This has resulted in waiting times of around 5 days in Algiers.

Congestion has increased waiting times for some ships to up to 7 days in Annaba and Skikda. Due to crane issues in Oran, waiting time has increased to around 3 days.

Morocco

Casablanca: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.12 days due to weather disruptions experienced last week.

South Africa

Cape Town: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 6.25 days as a result of wind delays. Seaexplorer shows AS Stine and ONE Resolution at anchor at the time of publishing.

Gambia

Banjul: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 8.5 days.

Asia Oceania

China

Waiting times improved in Ningbo and Qingdao but increased in Shanghai this week. Fog closures and the arrival of delayed vessels are resulting in berth congestion at these ports. According to seaexplorer, 179 vessels are currently in the Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage area. Outside Qingdao, 25 vessels are waiting to berth.

Seaexplorer shows berth congestion at hub ports Singapore and Port Klang. Around 30 vessels are currently at anchor in Singapore and 22 outside Port Klang. In Port Klang, productivity and efficiency have been reduced this month due to Ramadan.

New Zealand

Lyttelton: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 4 days.

Tauranga: The port continues to work, with the majority of vessels arriving and departing off-window. Due to the Kiwi season now fully underway, berth capacity and reefer plugs are under pressure. Dry yard capacity has been temporarily converted to reefer areas, reducing yard space for dry containers.

Europe

North European Ports

Port congestion and delays have reached critical levels at Northern European ports. Network phase-ins, high volumes and late vessels arriving outside their berthing windows have caused serious congestion and delays to waterside operations.

Yards in Antwerp, Hamburg, Rotterdam and Le Havre are at 75-90% capacity. Such levels add extreme pressure on landside container operations, including container pickup and delivery at these ports. Consequently, the main alternative ports, such as Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, and London Gateway, are seeing an increase in yard occupancy.

Belgium

A nationwide strike will take place on 31 March 2025, disrupting rail, road, and air transport. Ports of Zeebrugge and Antwerp may face obstructions, causing understaffing in various operations. Read more

Antwerp:

• PSA: Critical yard levels (95% for drys and 97% for reefers) are reducing productivity and increasing the number of vessels waiting for a berth. To alleviate the yard, the terminal is prioritising loading containers on vessels.
• AGW: Yard occupancy at AGW is considered stable, and labour supply is back to normal. Carriers have not reported any major delays at this terminal.

France

Le Havre: Vessel waiting times improved in Le Havre to around 3 days from the highs of 5 days recorded in the previous week. Carriers report improved port productivity due to the reduction in yard utilisation since the strikes were suspended for weeks 12 and 13.

Germany

Hamburg:

As of 17 March, HHLA imposed delivery restrictions at all Hamburg container terminals. Export stack windows are managed ship-by-ship and change on short notice. Kuehne+Nagel reports difficulties in delivering containers to the ports due to the volatility of the stack open and closing times. In addition, delivery slots are difficult to obtain.

• CTA: The terminal is working with a full berthing lineup and a high yard density of over 80%.

• CTB: Yard occupancy is around 82%. This, together with a labour shortage, is causing delays at this terminal. In addition, automation work began in March, limiting the handling of certain bays on vessels. The berthing line-up is full into next month, with little room to recover the yard and improve productivity.

Netherlands

Rotterdam:

Elevated vessel waiting times in Rotterdam are due to the diversion of vessels from strike-affected ports and an increase in transhipment volumes. The suspension of strikes in France could result in some relief for these terminals.

• ECT: The terminal is working with high yard utilisation (85%), tight reefer plug availability, an increase in transhipment activity and a shortage of labour. The phase-in and-out of vessels is resulting in high volumes and a full berthing lineup. Feeders experience delays of 24-72 hours.

• RWG: The yard capacity is at 70%, and this is expected to increase as the line-up remains fully occupied.

• Delta II: Carriers report vessel operations are limited by labour availability and new services calling this terminal.

Meditteranean Ports

Greece

Piraeus: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.25 days due to congestion. 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 increased to more than 2 days this week. The carrier service reshuffle is resulting in these delays with an impact on connecting feeders for transhipments.

Spain

The number of waiting vessels at Valencia anchorage is currently around 13. In Barcelona, two vessels are waiting for a berth. The waiting times at these ports can be up to 2 days for some ships.

United Kingdom

Felixstowe: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.5 days, and yard density is above 70%.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong (Chattogram): Berth congestion has increased this week due to the limited working hours at the port.

Dhaka Kamalapur ICD: Although a train shortage continues, the dwell times for import cargo to Dhaka have improved to between 10 and 12 days for 20fts and 2 and 3 days for 40fts.

North America

Canada

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

• Halifax: 12 days
• Montreal: 11 days
• Prince Rupert: 15 days
• Saint John: 11 days
• Vancouver: 13 days

Jamaica

Kingston: The port is severely affected by several vessels arriving at the same time. On-window vessels do not experience berthing delays at the port. Off-window ships can wait up to 7 days.

Mexico

Rail delays in Altamira and Veracruz due to high volumes and lack of rail capacity.

United States

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

• Montreal: 12 days
• Vancouver: 16 days
• Charleston: 7 days
• Houston: 10 days
• Los Angeles: 13 days
• Long Beach: 12 days
• New York: 8 days
• Norfolk: 8 days
• Savannah: 4 days

Houston: The situation in Houston has improved this week, with waiting times decreasing to 2.25 days. A temporary draft restriction is still in place, and yards are highly utilised at all terminals.

Norfolk: The Port of Virginia experienced a power outage last Friday, delaying the movement of containers in and out of the port. Kuehne+Nagel reports some carrier services are returning to Norfolk.

Savannah: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.57 days, and the overall situation is slightly improving. Eleven vessels were at anchor at the time of publishing.

South and Central America

Colombia

Cartagena: Due to congestion, vessels can wait up to 3 days in Cartagena. Delays are expected to increase when vessels begin arriving from Asia this week.

El Salvador

Acajutla: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1 day, although some vessels can wait up to 14 days. Docks A-1 and A-2 are undergoing repairs and maintenance work, and a crane is out of service, which is causing substantial delays to vessel operations.

On the landside, the container yard is heavily congested, and there is a slight labour shortage. Additionally, trucker availability is limited due to congestion and a shortage of truckers, making the departure of containers from the port dependent on the availability of trucking slots. The average truck availability is 7 days. These factors are collectively contributing to notable delays in container pickup and delivery.

Guatemala

Multiple demonstrations and roadblocks continue to create challenges for cargo movements throughout Guatemala. This is affecting transportation for both northbound and southbound cargo.

Honduras

Puerto Cortes: There are delays due to congestion, severe weather conditions, and labour shortages.

Panama

Cristobal: The 7-day vessel waiting time is around 2 days due to congestion.

Rodman: The port is currently severely congested. The delay to vessel arrivals is causing a transhipment delay of almost three weeks at this 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.  

This method applies similarly to all vessel waiting times presented in the tables.

To find the latest waiting time for a port, enter the port name or code in the search bar and select the relevant option.

The tables above show the trend in waiting times over the last four weeks.

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