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

Benin

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

Djibouti

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

Ghana

Tema: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2.33 days. On-window vessels wait on average a day for a berth, while off-window arrivals wait up to 3 days.

Guinea

Conakry: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 4.25 days due to heavy congestion.

Ivory Coast

Abidjan: Yard congestion is resulting in lower productivity and berthing delays.

Kenya

Mombasa: Carriers report berthing delays of up to 4 days in Mombasa. Due to vessel space limitations and scheduling, shipments to Mombasa could face additional transhipments and extended transit times.

Liberia

Monrovia: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 4 days due to port congestion.

Libya

Tripoli: Due to the ongoing security situation in Tripoli, port operations remain unstable, and some carriers have suspended calls to the port. As a result, the port is currently experiencing significant congestion.

Mauritania

Nouadhibou: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 6.5 days.

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

Mauritius

Port Louis: Although the average vessel waiting time is around 3.25 days, carriers report port omissions should a vessel arrive outside its berthing window. This is due to the limitations on berthing windows at the port. Should a vessel omit the port, it could result in longer transit times for shipments to Mauritius.

Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam: The terminal gate and road are congested, resulting in further delays at the port. Due to vessel space limitations and scheduling, shipments to Dar es Salaam could face additional transhipments and extended transit times.

Asia Oceania

The Asian typhoon season runs from June to October, peaking in August and September. In the next two months, countries such as China, Japan, and the Philippines can expect further weather delays and closures.

Last week's storm closed the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo, increasing waiting times to 3 days. The ports have now recovered slightly, with waiting times of around 2 days. At the time of publishing, 184 vessels were in the anchorage area.

New Zealand

Tauranga: The port was disrupted by weather in week 31, but has managed to recover. Large, late-arriving vessels could not be accommodated and had to slide into next week. Yard utilisation has returned to a productive level. The berthing lineup remains full for week 32.

Philippines

Manila: The average 7-day vessel waiting time is around 2.45 days. Off-window vessels can wait 3 or more days for a berth. At the time of this publication, 20 vessels were at anchor.

Vietnam

Cai Mep International Terminal: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 5 days.

Europe

Belgium

Antwerp: PSA Q913 and MPET have busy berthing lineups. At PSA, waiting times are on average less than 1 day, though vessels may wait up to 2 days. Yard density is high, with dwell times slowly improving. PSA has reduced the yard opening time from 7 to 5 days and recommends using night truck slots to avoid peak-hour congestion. Labour availability is stable but can be challenging on weekends due to summer holidays.

France

Le Havre: Yard density is moderate to high. Gate-in restrictions are present, typically allowing 5 working days before ETB.All terminals are experiencing manpower challenges due to ongoing summer vacations, impacting operations.

Germany

Rail update

• The closure of the Finkenwerder Bridge in Hamburg made the Eurogate and CT Burchardkai terminals inaccessible, causing four trains to be stopped outside Hamburg. For imports, delays are currently around 24 hours but are expected to decrease gradually.
• The long-term Berlin-Hamburg closure began, with trains running on detours and only minor delays, but port arrivals remain affected.
• Rail link closures to/from Bremerhaven are scheduled for 7 and 10 August and 2 October. Minor delays are expected in August.
• Rail traffic will be suspended from 21:00 on 15 August until 05:00 on 25 August due to construction work in the Regensburg EAST area. From 21:00 on 15 August until 06:00 on 18 August, Regensburg OST station will be completely closed. Thereafter, only one track will be available for shunting operations until 25 August 2025. These restrictions are expected to have a significant impact on rail in the Regensburg area.

Bremerhaven: The yard is around 80%. Due to the vacation period, a labour shortage is anticipated.

Hamburg: All terminals report full berth line-ups; waiting times range from up to 1 day at CTA and CTT to 4.5 days at CTB. Yard density is high across terminals, with occupancy levels around 75–80%, and dwell times fluctuating. Export delivery remains restricted based on vessel-specific ETA; CTA allows gate-in up to 5 days before ETA. Labour shortages are expected to persist through the summer holiday period until September.

Greece

Piraeus: The port is currently congested, with an average 7-day vessel waiting time of around 2.20 days. Mainline vessels berth on arrival, while feeder vessels wait for a berth. Yard density is high.

Italy

Genoa: Due to the ongoing congestion, some vessels are omitting Genoa. The yard density is approximately 89%, and a shortage of labour is challenging productivity.

La Spezia: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days, and yards are congested.

Netherlands

Rotterdam: High move counts and full berthing lineups are causing vessel delays in Rotterdam. The waiting time at ECT is around 1 day, and at RWG, it is around 6.5 days. At ECT, trucks face delays at peak hours. At RWG, truck turnaround times are around 30 minutes.

Spain

Algeciras: Carriers report yard density has improved to around 77% and a busy berthing lineup. TTIA adopts a dynamic berth model prioritising loading-heavy vessels to maintain terminal flow. The port is restricting empty container returns. At the time of publishing, seaexplorer showed four vessels at anchor.

Barcelona: At BST, yard density is high, leading to some delays. Labour is slightly lower than usual due to the holiday period.

Valencia: Due to vessel bunching, waiting time remains high. Yard density remains high, and the gates are slightly congested. At the time of publication, 14 vessels were at anchor in Valencia.

Sweden

Gothenburg: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 6 days.

United Kingdom

Grangemouth: The port was affected by high winds this week. Delays to operations can be expected as the backlog is worked through.

Liverpool: High winds halted port operations on 4 and 5 August. Operations resumed at 19:00 on 5 August. Delays to truck pickups and dropoffs, as well as vessel delays, can be expected.

London Gateway Port: The berthing line-up remains full, and late-arriving vessels will wait for a berth. DP World reports yard density is back to normal levels, and truck turnaround times are around 40 minutes.

Southampton: Yard capacity is around 77%. Labour is stable and gates are working smoothly.

Tilbury: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 2 days.

Middle East - Indian Subcontinent

Bangladesh

Chittagong(Chattogram): Berthing delays at CCT and NCT are 9-11 days, and 3-4 days at GCB. Port stays are 3 to 4 days on average. Yard utilisation is high, delaying vessel schedules and cargo operations. Seaexplorer showed 10 vessels at anchor at the time of publishing.

Heavy rainfall has caused waterlogging and traffic issues, which affect vessel loading. CFSs are congested, leading to longer truck queues. A locomotive shortage is resulting in rail dwell for Dhaka ICD imports of 20-22 days for 20-ft containers and 20-23 days for 40-ft containers.

India

Monsoon weather intermittently halts port operations, delaying vessels. All carriers report equipment shortages, specifically in northern inland container depots.

Sri Lanka

Colombo: Monsoon weather is impacting port operations at the transhipment hub. High yard density and inter-terminal transfer challenges are also causing delays. Transhipment cargo may be delayed by 1-2 weeks. At the time of publishing, 10 vessels were at anchor.

North America

Canada

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

• • Halifax: 4 days
  • Montreal: 10 days
  • Prince Rupert: 5 days
  • Saint John: 6 days
  • Vancouver: 7 days

Mexico

Manzanillo: The yard occupancy is high, with operational bottlenecks observed and significant delays affecting the dispatch of land cargo. Trucking assignments require 72-120 hours for imports and 48-72 hours for exports. Rail assignments require 72 hours for imports and 48 hours for exports.

USA

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

• • Montreal: 5 adys
  • Prince Rupert: 4 days
  • Vancouver: 4 days
  • Charleston: 2 days
  • Houston: 7 days
  • Los Angeles: 7 days
  • Long Beach: 6 days
  • New York: 4 days
  • Norfolk: 3 days
  • Savannah: 1 day

South and Central America

Chile

San Antonio: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 2 days. The port was closed last week due to the tsunami warning. Delays can be expected.

Valparaiso: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is 3 days. The port was closed last week due to the tsunami warning. Delays can be expected.

Colombia

Buenaventura: Congestion is worsening in Buenaventura. The port is challenged by container backlogs, security concerns, and the forced nationalisation of cargo. Time taken for import release is increasing, and yard utilisation is around 90%.

Cartagena: Although congestion is improving in Cartagena, transhipment volumes remain high, and delays can be expected. At the time of publishing, five vessels were at anchor.

Costa Rica

Caldera: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is around 1 day. The port is currently congested, and the infrastructure is not able to cope with the volume influx, leading to fluctuating levels of disruptions.

Panama

Port operations across the region are under pressure due to high yard utilisation (90–95%) and elevated vessel waiting times averaging 2–2.8 days. Berthing and gate activities are strained, with congestion affecting cargo flow and dispatch. Inspection delays and release bottlenecks are common, especially for reefer and OOG cargo. Rodman and Colon are additionally impacted by rerouted canal traffic and throughput surges.

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.

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