Kuehne+Nagel aims to provide the most up-to-date operational information so you can make more informed decisions for your cargo. Our weekly Port Update summarises events impacting global port operations this past week and what should be considered when planning future shipments. Additionally, we include infrastructure and volume developments, amongst other relevant general port news.
Operational News
Africa
Senegal
Dakar: The port has suspended berthing windows for 10 days. The average vessel waiting time has increased from around 4 days last week to 5.5 days this week. Dakar is facing challenges with imports long dwells.
South Africa
7-day waiting time has increased at ports in South Africa by a day to around 3 days in Cape Town, 2 days in Durban and 2.5 days in Port Elizabeth. The ports are experiencing operational and weather challenges. In addition, cable theft is impacting rail capacity on the Container Corridor.
Asia
China
Operations at Chinese ports continue to be impacted by dense fog this week. The 7-day average vessel waiting time at the Chinese hot-spot ports of Shanghai-Ningbo and Hong Kong-Yantian remains stable at around 2-2.5 days.
India
Pipavav: APM Terminals Pipavav (APMT) suffered a power failure after strong winds uprooted power transmission towers outside the port area on 29 May. The port subsequently closed the container berth and suspended all quayside operations. Rail and gate operations and the power supply to reefers were maintained.
From 6:00 am on 8 June, APMT said it could commence vessel operations using an alternative power source until it is back on the main power grid. Maersk announced it would divert vessels to Mundra in the meantime. Export containers will be trucked and railed to Mundra from Pipavav. At the time of the power outage, Maersk reported 717 containers were held at Pipavav. The 7-day average vessel waiting time is currently one day.
Europe
European ports have shown stable operations for the past weeks, which is good news for the summer peak season. Yard density at the ports is healthy, limiting concern about the ability of the ports to handle additional volumes. The 7-day average vessel waiting times for hot spots Antwerp-Rotterdam and Hamburg-Bremerhaven-Wilhelmshaven are between 1.5 and 2 days.
Turkey
Iskenderun: No port status change since last week; however, the 7-day waiting time has significantly improved to around 1.5 days this week. According to CMA CGM, container piers 3 and 4 with ship-to-shore cranes will gradually increase the size of ships they are able to accommodate, with the full opening of the berths expected by early October. Once the container piers are open, the terminal will be able to operate two vessels simultaneously.
Mersin: Berth and yard congestion has increased over the last week. The 7-day average vessel is around 4 days. With berth windows suspended and aid cargo prioritised at the port, some vessels wait longer.
North America
Canada
Vancouver- Prince Rupert: Following the announcement of a cooling-off period for contract negotiations, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada announced it would hold a vote to strike on 9 and 10 June. The earliest strike date would be 24 June, provided the votes are in favour of the strike and a 72-hour notice has been given. The ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert would be impacted should the strike action take place. This could affect Canada-bound cargo and intermodal cargo to the US Midwest, adding further pressure to east coast ports.
USA
West Coast
On Friday, 2 June, several terminals on the US West Coast were closed due to labour actions by members of the ILWU. Terminals at LA -Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Seattle were either shut-down or severely impacted.
Disrupted operations continued over the weekend resulting in Total Terminals International in Long Beach cancelling trucking orders for Monday, 5 June.
On Monday, disruptions were limited to gate operations at selected terminals, namely Total Terminals at the Port of Long Beach, Pacific Container Terminal at the Port of Long Beach, and Fenix Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, 6 June, terminals at the ports of Oakland and Seattle were back to normal operations. At LA/Long Beach labour was unavailable at PCT for the first shift. As a result, gate movements were cancelled from 8 am until 5 pm. The TTI and Fenix terminals operated with high congestion levels and significant truck queues outside the gates.
Union Pacific has temporarily suspended all inland rail ramps to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This is a proactive move from the rail operator to avoid congestion and delay to cargo.
According to Kuehne+Nagel data, the impact of the labour actions on the vessel waiting times has been slight so far, with the 7-day average vessel waiting time increasing from 1.56 days on 2 June to 1.78 days on 7 June.
Houston: Rail operator Union Pacific has expanded its service connection from Houston to Denver, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Los Angeles, and El Paso. The new on-dock rail service began on 1 June and will reduce the number of trucks on the road and, as a result, carbon emissions.
South America
Brazil
Itajaí: APM Terminals announced it would not renew its transitional contract for operating the Port of Itajaí. Following the announcement, the port authority confirmed it began a simplified bidding process for a new transitional operator on 5 June.
During the six-month transitional period, the Port of Itajaí will conduct a bidding process for a new lease in the coming months. The port said immediate measures must be taken to prevent inactivity after APM Terminals ceases to run operations. This week the 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased from 1 day to 3 days.
Panama
Rodman: Port workers at PSA Puerto de Rodman declared an indefinite strike at 6:00 am on 1 June over Collective Bargaining Agreement violations. The strike was called off the following day, and operations at the port resumed. Delays to cargo can be expected.
Other Port News
Africa
Democratic Republic of Congo
Matadi: ICTSI Matadi Gateway Terminal will invest in equipment to increase productivity and allow easier access to the port. According to Container News, ICTSI has recently inaugurated 4 hybrid rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). Construction of a 2.65-kilometre road connecting the Port of Matadi and Kinkanda traffic circle, passing through Sep Congo and the RN14 is underway.
In the second construction phase, ICTSI will purchase additional equipment and expand the yard to cater for 400,000 TEU and the berth to 500m. Completion is scheduled for the last quarter of 2023.
Asia
India
Vizhinham: Adani Ports announced that the transhipment port Vizhinham will be fully commissioned by May 2024. The operator, who is also building the port, said it expects the first vessel to berth in October 2023. Phase one of construction which includes a 400m quay, will be ready by March 2024, and completion of the terminal is expected in May 2024. With this development, India aims to reduce its dependence on Sri Lanka as a transhipment hub.
Europe
Spain
CMA CGM launched a new dedicated rail service connecting Valencia with Murcia, a key industrial and logistics zone. The service offers a weekly departure with a transit time of 1 day. The carrier boasts a CO2 saving of 3.41 versus trucking. The service will export cargo from Murcia Ramp to Shanghai in 39 days, Nhava Sheva in 32 days, Hamburg in 10 days, and New York in 10 days. Imports from Shanghai will take 31 days, 22 days from Nhava Sheva, and 5 days from Ambarli.
North America
New York/New Jersey: The Port of New York and New Jersey retained its spot as the second busiest port in the US when April volumes reached almost 650,000 TEU. Compared with April 2022, the port moved 7% more cargo in April 2023. Year-to-date April 2023 volume of loaded containers was 1,658,513 TEU. Loaded import volumes dropped by almost 26% compared to YTD in April 2022. Exports remained stable at 439,128 TEU.
Oceania
Australia
Svitzer Austalia and Maritime unions representing towage staff reached an in-principle agreement last week. The new proposal will be put to vote between 8-10 June. With the agreement in place and voting due to commence this week, protected labour action is not possible.
Sydney: NSW Ports announced its 40-year Master Plan for Sustainable Growth in anticipation of population growth which could cause current container trade volumes to triple at Port Botany. Over this period, the port expects a resultant growth in demand for housing and infrastructure which would increase the volume of construction material imported into Australia. The plans include moving more freight by rail and growing freight handling capacity at the port.
NSW Ports have already announced plans to expand port on-dock rail capacity and empty container storage capacity at Port Botany and an offshore wind port facility at Port Kembla.
