Supply chain disruptions and port congestion are here to stay. Find out what to expect in Kuehne+Nagel's weekly port operational update.
Middle East Africa
Cameroon
Douala: The 7-day average vessel waiting time increased to over 3 days this week as a result of high yard utilisation and IT issues.
Nigeria
Strikes which were expected to shut down all Nigerian port operations were called off this week. Read more
Ghana
Tema: The 7-day waiting time increased to more than 5 days this week. Regular power outages, heavy rains and high swells impacted the berthing lineup and port productivity.
Saudi Arabia
Dammam: Yard utilisation is high at the port, causing delays to operations. Vessels arriving off-window due to delays from previous ports are impacting the berthing lineup.
Cape Town: Adverse weather and national elections limited operations this past week. At the time of publishing, no vessels were waiting at Cape Town anchorage.
Durban: Dredging, equipment issues, and labour shortages due to the national election contributed to elevated berthing delays this past week. Five vessels were at anchor at the time of publishing.
Tanzania
Dar es Salaam: The 7-day average vessel waiting time improved to around 6 days this week from 10 days last week. Nevertheless, the port is still congested. New cranes were delivered and are being commissioned, which should improve productivity.
UAE
Jebel Ali:Container yards are at maximum capacity, causing delays, including inter-terminal transfers. In addition, two cranes are out of service.
Asia Pacific
Melbourne: Melbourne's terminals are working with minor vessel congestion. On the landside, smooth gate flow at DP World Terminals is being hampered by construction. Truck turnaround times and limited slots are causing delays in container movements. Read more
Bangladesh
Chittagong: The 7-day average vessel waiting time is below 2 days; however, feeder vessels are waiting between 2 and 3 days for a berth.
China
Port operations at several Chinese Ports continued to be interrupted by seasonal dense fog last week, causing berth congestion. Kuehne+Nagel China reports ports are working as usual, and there is no terminal congestion presently.
Port Klang: Westport is heavily congested, increasing vessel waiting times. Late vessels wait an average of 2-3 days. Yard utilisation is very high, reducing the efficiency of vessel and yard operations.
Manila: A new crane installation is causing congestion in Manila, resulting in average vessel waiting times of more than 2 days.
Singapore
Singapore: Waiting time has improved in Singapore this week, but the port remains heavily congested. The congestion is significantly affecting quay and landside productivity.
South Korea
Busan: Vessel waiting time has stabilised, but potential vessel bunching due to delays in previous ports could cause berth congestion. Equipment maintenance will take place until the end of September, reducing yard capacity by around 2000 TEU.
Sri Lanka
Colombo: The port is heavily congested due to the increase in the number of vessels calling Colombo. High yard utilisation, weather issues and inter-terminal delays are reducing productivity.
Europe
Belgium
Antwerp: Vessel bunching increased berth waiting times last week.
France
Four-hour work stoppages continue to interrupt operations at French ports this week. Read more
Germany
Rhine: On Monday, the Rhine River in southern Germany was inaccessible to cargo ships due to high water levels caused by heavy rains. Shipping ceased near Maxau and Mannheim. In addition, DP World Mannheim suspended operations at its terminal.
The heavy rainfall also caused intense flooding, damaging rail and road infrastructure. As a result, trains were cancelled, and roads were closed earlier this week.
Since then, flood waters have receded to some extent, and some rail services have been reinstated, using mostly diverted routes. Nevertheless, a shortage of trains from ports to inland destinations and further disruptions and delays can be expected.
Hamburg: Container yards at terminals are highly utilised, causing delays in cargo operations. Booking slots for trucks are limited, and truckers face delays in some terminals when picking up or delivering. Rail delays as a result of high volumes could further be exacerbated by trains unable to return to ports from flooded parts of southern Germany.
Greece
Piraeus: Pier maintenance has reduced the number of berths available until July. Yard occupancy is manageable.
Malta
Marsaxlokk: Due to increased port volumes, yard and berth occupancy is high. Despite this, vessel waiting times are low.
Netherlands
Rotterdam: Yard density is increasing due to high volumes of imports. Berths are highly utilised.
Portugal
Port Authority strikes began on 4 June across all Portuguese ports, affecting pilotage, tugs, and waste removal services. Read more
Spain
Barcelona: Due to berth congestion, the 7-day average vessel waiting time has reached 4 days in Barcelona. Insufficient labour is causing spot delays at the port.
Valencia: The port is seeing high volumes, causing congestion-related delays.
North America
USA
Charleston: Vessel waiting times have increased further in Charleston. Carriers report a 9-day delay at Wando Welch Terminal (WWT) and 4 days at North Charleston Terminal (NCT).
The delays in WWT result from the toe wall construction, which reduced the number of berths available from three to two. Since the construction is expected to take 10-12 months, Maersk announced it will replace Charleston with Savannah on its OC1 service from 20 June.
In addition, system issues experienced two weeks ago resulted in no vessel operations for 72 hours and no gate activity for 48 hours. The outage caused the initial increase in delays.
At the time of publishing, 16 vessels were waiting at anchor. Read more
Savannah: Berth waiting time has increased at Savannah this week but remains under 2 days. Five vessels were at anchor at the time of publishing. Carriers report gate and yard operations remain fluid.
South and Central America
Brazil
Itapoa: On-time vessels berth within 6 hours of arrival. Late vessels wait a minimum of 7 days for a berth.
Navegantes: Due to port construction, vessels are berthing on a FIFO basis. Port rotation changes and higher waiting times can are to be expected.
Mexico
Trucking shortages in Mexico are causing delays in cargo movement at various ports. Bookings for trucks and rail need to be made in advance. Contact your local Kuehne+Nagel office for more information.
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