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. 

Asia Pacific

China

Port congestion due to bad weather in previous weeks continues to hold waiting times at Ningbo, Shanghai, and Qingdao between 1 and 2 days. According to the seaexplorer, 106 vessels were in the Shanghai-Ningbo anchorage area, and 24 vessels were waiting in Qingdao at the time of publishing.

India

Port workers in India have threatened to go on an indefinite strike starting mid-December due to delays in wage structure revisions. The Major Port Workers Federation's National Coordination Committee criticised the Indian Port Association's implementation of the wage settlement signed in September 2024. If no progress is made, strikes could begin as early as 17 December 2024 at India's major state-owned ports. Read more

Philippines

Manila: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.8 days due to heavy congestion. Off-window vessels can wait 3 days or more at Manila North for a berth. Seaexplorer showed 29 vessels at anchor in Manila at the time of publishing.

Europe

Belgium

Antwerp: A high number of calls and weather disruptions are causing congestion. In addition, the Antwerp Gateway expansion project is putting pressure on yard capacity. At the time of publishing, sixteen vessels were waiting in the Antwerp-Rotterdam area.

Georgia

Poti: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3.33 days. Vessels are handled on a FIFO basis, and productivity is low.

Germany

Hamburg: The situation in Hamburg remains unchanged this week. Terminals are heavily congested at 90% with full berthing lineups. As a result, productivity is slow, resulting in further delays. AT CTA, train arrivals are restricted to 7 days before vessel ETA. Labour continues to be under pressure. A lightning strike on 27 November is causing delays and disruptions to rail traffic. Read more

Netherlands

Rotterdam: Strong winds interrupted operations last week and continue into this week. Yard occupancy is just over 70%. The berth remains fully utilised with little capacity for flexibility. As per seaexplorer, 16 vessels were waiting in the Antwerp-Rotterdam anchorage area at the time of publishing.

Malta

Marsaxlokk: The yard occupancy is at 88%. Loaded stock is high due to large quantities of cargo for Algeria. Reefer plug availability is currently tight.

Spain

Algeciras: The yard occupancy is around 80%. High volumes and bunching of mainliner calls are causing delays to subsequent arrivals. Reefer plug availability is currently tight. Three vessels were at anchor at the time of publishing.

Valencia: Adverse weather impacted operations in Valencia in week 46, adding to berth congestion. At the time of publishing, four vessels were at anchor.

Turkey

Mersin: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.2 days, and out-of-window vessels wait between 1 and 3 days for a berth. To manage terminal congestion, export gate-in acceptance has been reduced to 6 days before vessel ETA.

Middle East Africa

Algeria

Algiers: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.6 days; however, some vessels can wait up to 12 days.

Cameroon

Douala: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.63 days.

Egypt

El Iskandariya (Alexandria): Yard utilisation is 92% at Alexandria's old terminal and 94% at Alexandria El Dekheila. Terminal congestion is causing delays to vessel berthing. Further delays and disruptions are expected in December due to seasonal weather.

Gabon

Libreville: The port is highly congested, with import occupancy is 110%. Labour shortages are adding to delays.

Gambia

Banjul: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 20 days. The port is experiencing severe congestion and works on a FIFO basis, with no berthing windows. 

Libya

Benghazi: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.5 days.

Mozambique

Maputo: Despite the current ease of passage through the border between South Africa and Mozambique, bad driver behaviour and slack law enforcement continue to cause trucking challenges.

South Africa

Durban: Vessel delays can be up to 12 days at Pier 1 and 24 days at Pier 2. Delays are due to crane and equipment breakdowns. Some carriers report vessel waiting times of up to 40 days. Six vessels were waiting at anchorage at the time of publishing. This number has reduced from 10 vessels last week.

Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2.25 days due to low crane productivity and capacity constraints. Nine vessels were waiting for a berth at the time of publishing.

North America

Canada

The Port of Montreal Longshoremen's Union (CUPE 375) and the Maritime Employers Association (MEA) have agreed to enter a 90-day mediation process. If the mediation succeeds, the MEA and CUPE Local 375 could finally reach a new collective bargaining agreement for 1,300 longshore workers. In the meantime, no progress was reported concerning negotiations between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association and workers on the Canadian West Coast. Read more

Vessel waiting times remain elevated at Canadian ports due to backlogs and congestion caused by the recent strikes. Eight vessels were at anchor in Vancouver, 5 in Montreal.

Although rail operations have returned to normal, dwell times are high due to the backlog (see below). Rail providers will prioritise impacted cargo and aim to maintain network fluidity.

Average import rail dwell times for Canadian cargo:

• Halifax: 9 days
• Montreal: 17 days
• Prince Rupert:15 days
• Vancouver: 14 days

United States

Miami: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days.

Average import rail dwell times for US cargo :

• Montreal: 7 days
• Prince Rupert: 4 days
• Vancouver: 3 days
• Charleston: 5 days
• Houston: 3 days
• Los Angeles: 8 days
• Long Beach: 7 days
• New York: 4 days
• Norfolk: 2 days
• Savannah:1 day

South and Central America

Brazil

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

Itapoa: Vessels arriving off-window can wait up to 5 days for a berth.

Manaus: Low water levels due to a severe drought limit ship navigation in and out of Manaus. Vessel omissions and delays are possible.

Navegantes: Some vessels can wait up to 10 days for a berth.

Paranagua: Vessels arriving off-window can wait up to 5 days for a berth.

Rio De Janeiro: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.25 days.

Santos: To limit congestion, the port maintains vessel schedules to reduce port stay time, operates with two piers and allocates additional shore resources. However, it does not accept extra calls or transhipment volumes.

El Salvador

Acajutla: Due to congestion, the average 7-day vessel waiting time has increased from 4 days last week to 10 days this week. Docks A-1 and A-2 are undergoing repairs and maintenance, and a dock crane is also out of service. These constraints are causing significant delays for vessels before they can commence operations. Additionally, yard congestion and a trucker shortage have led to low trucker availability, with an average wait time of 3-4 days. Container pick-up from the port is subject to trucking slot availability, and some carriers are reporting shortages of dry containers.

Mexico

Lazaro Cardenas: The yard occupancy is 81%. The berthing lineup is congested, with vessels arriving off-window waiting up to 2 days.

Manzanillo: Mexico is set to enhance its transport and logistics capabilities with the expansion of the Port of Manzanillo, which will increase its container capacity to 10 million by 2030, and the Colima-Manzanillo highway, which will alleviate traffic congestion and improve cargo movement efficiency in and out of the port. These projects are expected to boost regional competitiveness and create thousands of jobs. Read more

Jamaica

Kingston: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 3.7 days. The yard occupancy is 80% (full) and 124% (empty). Two cranes are out for repair, impacting vessel operations and productivity. 

Nicaragua

Corinto: The port is highly congested at around 92% due to limited capacity to service the vessel lineup. 

Panama

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



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