Kuehne+Nagel aims to provide the most up-to-date port 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.

Africa and the Middle East

Cameroon

Douala: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.5 days at Douala. Yard occupancy is also high.

Djibouti

Djibouti: The port remains heavily disrupted due to high yard congestion and limited crane availability. The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5.5 days.

Ghana

Takoradi: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 3 days. Productivity is hampered by crane breakdowns.

Egypt

Suez Canal: After several attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, carriers have re-routed vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. A list of vessels which have changed routing to avoid the risk area is available on Sea News.

Kuehne+Nagel's seaexplorer visualises the number of vessels which are affected.

Israel

In light of the issues in the Red Sea, some carriers have stopped accepting bookings for Israel, while others are using alternate routing.

Senegal

Dakar: Ships are waiting an average of around 6 days in Dakar due to congestion and poor productivity. Container yards are also congested, slowing down import deliveries. The port is also battling equipment issues, which is adding to delays.

South Africa

Cape Town: The 7-day average vessel waiting time has increased to almost 3 days in Cape Town this week. Additionally, the number of vessels waiting outside Cape Town has increased to 3 this week. Weather and crane issues are slowing the movement of containers at the port.

Durban: Vessel waiting time in Durban remains high this week at around 10 days due to weather and equipment issues. According to Kuehne+Nagel's seaexplorer, 12 vessels are currently anchored outside the port.

Port Elizabeth: Bad weather has caused waiting times to increase in Port Elizabeth from 1 day last week to 4 days this week.

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time remains high this week at 12 days. Vessel bunching, bad weather, and power outages are impacting productivity. Government directives allow certain vessels priority berthing.

Asia

The 7-day average vessel waiting time at Chinese main points is below 2 days this week despite closures due to winter weather.

The Lunar New Year holiday in China will take place from 10 - 17 February 2024. Service providers such as barge operators are announcing limited to no operations during this time. Shipments should be planned in advance to avoid delays.

India

Tuticorin: The Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala witnessed heavy to very heavy rainfall this week, impacting port operations in the area. The port experienced power outages and suspended its CFS operations. Delays can be expected for the next few days.

Europe

Stormy weather has caused some operational stops at ports this week in the UK and the Netherlands.

Germany

Members of the German Locomotive Drivers' Union (GDL) voted in favour of "unlimited strikes" after negotiations with employers, including Deutsche Bahn, failed. Strikes will likely exceed the customary 24-hour limit. The exact dates of the strike were not announced by the union. However, Claus Weselsky, head of the GDL, assured the German public that no strikes would take place during Christmas time.

North America

USA

Oakland: Dredging works and the delivery of new cranes have caused some delays at the port. The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days.

Central and Latin America

Brazil

Manaus: Water levels have improved, and carriers have resumed calls to Manaus. However, draft conditions will still be in place, limiting the capacity of vessels calling the port.

Navegantes: The port is open without restrictions; however, it is experiencing berth and yard congestion due to backlog. Neighbouring ports of Paranagua and Itapoa are also witnessing congestion.

Santos: Adverse weather conditions have delayed the movement of ships into and out of the port and increased waiting times to more than 2 days.

Mexico

Inland transportation in Mexico remains challenging due to a lack of drivers, roadblocks, and port congestion. Container movements for cargo in Ensenada, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Altamira and Veracruz are affected.

Customers are advised to plan container movements early, factoring in delays. For further details on the situation per port and recommendations for customers. please refer to Kuehne+Nagel advisory.

Lazaro Cardenas: Congestion continues to a large extent both for the entrance and within the port, which is causing delays in shipments and empty container returns. For this reason, there could be an equipment shortage and a lack of trucks.

Delays of up to 10 hours inside the port are possible. Customs processes are also being rescheduled, causing further delays in services.

Veracruz: Bad weather closed the port for three days last week, resulting in vessel bunching this week. There are currently three vessels waiting at anchor.

Panama Canal

Since rainfall and water levels for November were less adverse than expected, the canal authority will increase the number of vessel transits from 22 to 24 transits per day starting 16 January. This is positive news for container ships, which have been delayed due to the limited number of transits announced in October. Read a full Kuehne+Nagel assessment on the Panama Canal here.

Peru

Callao: Strong current outside the port has delayed vessel lineup and increased waiting times in Callao to an average of 3 days.

Oceania

Australia

Ongoing industrial action at DP World terminals in Australia has been extended further to 31 December. This is impacting vessel schedules, and increasing congestion at container yards and adjacent ports. More details on the strikes and how they affect Oceania can be found in our Kuehne+Nagel assessment.

Melbourne: The prolonged container supply chain disruptions caused by the strikes have been causing significant hurdles to trade operations in the state of Victoria. A new report highlighted that the Department for Transport and Planning intends to start a Disruption Response Group to develop a plan to alleviate the operational and financial impact of the disruptions.

New Zealand

Auckland: Services into Auckland are affected by delays at previous ports, particularly delays in Australia because of the strikes.

KiwiRail track and tunnel maintenance will take place from Monday, 25 December 2023, through to Sunday, 07 January 2024. No trains will run in or out of Wellington during this period.

Unfortunately, these works will impact CentreRail services for the North Island-based customers, cancelling all services for the period. Blenheim services: While the rail won’t run, CentrePort will still move containers via Strait Shipping. Find more details in our customer advisory.