Congestion has increased at ports across Africa and Asia, while ports in the Americas and Europe have gradually improved. Most of the operational impacts at ports in Africa continue to be driven by infrastructure limitations. Ports in Asia experienced several severe weather events, including Tropical Cyclones that hampered port operations and increased average wait times. Coastal flood warnings remain in place for the Port of Belawan, Indonesia on December 2 after heavy rainfall impacted the area from November 24.
In Europe, a nationwide strike continues to have reverberating effects on the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. Though the strike was officially lifted on November 27, shipping delays have persisted. Ports in the United Kingdom, including Felixstowe and Southampton, were impacted by severe weather that has increased congestion and disrupted operations. The Port of Southampton also experienced a terminal closure on December 1 due to high winds. Ports in Italy are recovering following a nationwide strike on November 28.
Protests occurred at the Port of Chattogram, Bangladesh against the port’s planned lease of some terminals to foreign companies. Regional operations were also impacted by Cyclone Ditwah, which closed the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on November 29.
In the Americas, many ports in the United States have nearly recovered from persistent rail dwell issues, showing a marked decrease in vessel wait times, though planned closures around the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday led to minor increases in congestion.
Regional Summaries
Africa
Infrastructure improvement projects continue to drive up wait times at multiple ports in Africa. The highest average wait times in the region were recorded at the Port of Banjul, Gambia, at 35.7 days, according to Everstream Analytics.
Average wait times at the Port of Beira, Mozambique remain at heighted levels and currently stand at 11.5 days according to data from Everstream Analytics.
Wait times have fallen slightly at the Port of Conakry, Guinea, with averages of 8 days, according to Everstream Analytics. Kuehne + Nagel reports that the max wait time for anchored vessels could be as high as 29 days.
Congestion at the Port of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, has decreased slightly to 7.7 days on average, according to Everstream Analytics, however, Kuehne + Nagel report severe disruption and yard congestion due to civil unrest.
The Port of Douala, Cameroon is facing average wait times of 5.5 days according to data from Everstream Analytics, due to operational limitations, and Hapag-Lloyd expects wait times to increase over the Christmas holiday season due to planned closures.
Weather, equipment shortages, and high transshipment volumes are leading to elevated wait times exceeding 6.2 days at the Port of Mombasa, Kenya according to Kuehne + Nagel.
Asia & Oceania
Inclement weather in Asia and Oceania led to an uptick in wait times and overall congestion in the region. The port of Qingdao, China is experiencing average wait times of 2.2 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel, with max wait times as high as 3 days as a result of vessel bunching under high winds. Hapag-Lloyd is reporting heavy disruption and delays at the Port of Shanghai/Yangshan, China, with average wait times between 1 and 3 days. The ports of Shekou and Ningbo, China reported slightly elevated times with averages wait times at 1.4 days at both ports, according to data from Kuehne + Nagel, largely driven by berth congestion and vessel bunching.
The Port of Manila, Philippines, is experiencing average wait times of 2.4 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel, due to recent severe storms.
Middle East & India
Overall, ports in the Middle East and South Asia are not experiencing elevated wait times. Operations at the Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka, have been disrupted by severe weather, according to Hapag-Lloyd and the port is currently facing average wait times of 1.2 days, according to Everstream Analytics.
The Port of Chittagong (Chattogram), Bangladesh, is facing average wait times of 1.3 days, according to data from Everstream Analytics, with Hapag-Lloyd reporting that operations have been hampered by occupancy limits and mild congestion.
The port of Mundra, India, is experiencing average wait times of 1.1 days, according to Everstream Analytics.
Europe
Ports in Europe saw average wait times slightly increase, though they remain relatively low. The Port of Felixstowe, United Kingdom reported average wait times of 2.7 days due to weather and congestion and the Port of Southampton, United Kingdom experienced average wait times of 4 days.
The Port of Valencia, Spain has an average wait time of 3 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel, with operations impacted by the passage of recent severe storms.
The Port of Hamburg, Germany is reporting average wait times of 1.2 days as it recovers from rail stoppages that occurred during demonstrations at the port in November, according to Kuehne + Nagel.
The Port of Ravenna, Italy, is reporting average wait times of 2.8 days, according to Everstream Analytics, while wait times at the Port of Genoa, Italy, have fallen to 1.6 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel.
The Port of Leixoes, Portugal, is facing disruptions from planned strikes at the port with average wait times at 2 days.
The Port of Koper, Slovenia is facing the highest average wait times in the region at 7 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel and Hapag-Lloyd.
Americas
Average wait times remain low at ports in North America. The Port of Mobile, United States faces the highest average wait time in the region at 3.4 days, according to Everstream Analytics. The Port of New York / New Jersey, United States is facing wait times of 1.2 days due to crane outages, according to Kuehne + Nagel, and Hapag-Lloyd reports that planned closures around the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday also increased wait times.
Ports in Mexico have largely recovered from congestion, with average wait at the ports of Altamira, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, and Veracruz all reporting average wait times of less than 1 day, according to data from Everstream Analytics.
The Port of Vancouver, Canada, is experiencing average wait time of 1.8 days due to elevated rail dwell times of 7 days, according to Kuehne + Nagel.
In South America, nationwide protests have led to a state of emergency in Peru, which has increased average wait times at the Port of Callao to 1.3 days, according to data from Kuehne + Nagel.
The ports of Paranaguá and Santos, Brazil, are experiencing average wait times of 1.4 days and 2.2 days, respectively, according to data from Everstream Analytics, marking a slight improvement in congestion.
The Port of Antofagasta, Chile, is reporting average wait times of 3.9 days, according to data from Everstream Analytics, while the Port of San Antonio, Chile, is reporting average wait times of 5 days according to data from Kuehne + Nagel.
The Port of Buenaventura, Colombia, is facing average wait times of 1.4 days, according to Everstream Analytics.
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