Port Congestion Holds Steady at Major Hubs as Mid-Sized Ports Struggle

Port congestion is an inevitable consequence of typhoons and hurricanes, geopolitical disruption in the Red Sea and USEC labor action.

Following similar events in Bangladesh in August, both Ningbo and Shanghai ports were forced to halt operations due to Typhoon Bebinca in September. But XL ports (those with an annual throughput greater than 10M TEU) have proven their resilience and ability to absorb much of the impact of such events. Despite the weather related disruptions, both Ningbo and Shanghai ports recorded lower average vessel anchor and container dwell times in September compared to August.

Medium sized ports, however, are more likely to be feeling the effects of the endless series of supply chain crises. Average anchor times at ports with annual throughput between 500,000 and 4,000,000 TEU consistently see average vessel anchor times in excess of their larger counterparts. In September, seven of the ten most congested ports (by anchor time) fall into this category. These ports also see more volatility in congestion levels. Looking at the difference between the min and max monthly average anchor times over the past six months, medium sized ports occupy the top three spots: Charleston (3.5 days), Chittagong (3.0 days) and Durban (2.8 days). 

Vessel Anchor Times: September 2024

No XL ports reported average anchor times of more than half a day. Among the world's largest ports, Shanghai and Jebel Ali reported the longest average vessel waiting time at 0.4 days each. 

Among large ports (4-10M TEU), Santos added nearly half a day to average anchor times, continuing a trend of worsening conditions at Brazil’s largest container port. Manila registered a minor improvement but remains far more congested than competing Southeast Asian ports. 

Vancouver (+1.1 days) was the only port to see average anchor times increase by more than a day in September. Houston (+0.5 days), Santos (+0.5 days), Charleston (+0.4 days) and Colombo (+0.4 days) registered the next biggest month-on-month increases. Notably, Chittagong shaved two days off average wait times following the floods and civic action that plagued operations in July and August. 

Large port (4-10M TEU) average anchor times, Sept 2024 

Medium port (0.5-4M TEU) average anchor times, Sept 2024

Container Dwell Times: September 2024

Looking at congestion on the ground, average container dwell times exceeded seven days at 14 of 78 analyzed ports. 

Medium volume ports in Djibouti (10.0 days), Chittagong (9.3 days) and Guayaquil (8.6 days), took the top three spots. Long Beach recorded the longest container dwell times of North American ports at 8.6 days, while Piraeus topped European ports with 8.5 days.

XL ports again showed their class with none of the 13 analyzed ports reporting average container dwell times in excess of five days. In fact, Singapore reported the third lowest container dwell times of all 78 ports, at 2.3 days. Shekou, Melbourne, Tanjung Perak and Sydney joined Singapore in the five ports with the lowest average container dwell times in September. 

Osaka (+4.5 days), Mombasa (+3.0 days), Kobe (+3.0 days), Tanger Med (+2.8 days) and Guayaquil (+2.4 days) recorded the largest month-on-month increases in average container dwell times. 

Large port (4-10M TEU) container dwell times, Sep 2024

Medium port (0.5-4M TEU) container dwell times, Sep 2024

How We Analyze Port Congestion

Our port congestion index monitors three key indicators of port congestion. No single factor gives a complete picture of port congestion, but taken collectively these metrics can provide insight into how ports around the world are able to cope with supply chain pressures. ‍

Anchor times provide insight into harbor congestion by measuring how long vessels are waiting, on average, before they are able to berth at a port.

‍Berth times provide insight into the time it takes for vessels to be unloaded and loaded. While larger ports typically have longer berth times due to handling larger vessels, looking at changes in berth times month over month can give insight into ports that may be dealing with operational issues.

While the first two factors look at the time it takes for vessels to move through the port, container dwell times give insight into how well ports are facilitating the movement of goods out of the yard and onwards to their final destinations.