Welcome to this month’s edition of our Global Logistics Update. As global markets evolve with new challenges and opportunities, staying ahead of trends in shipping, port infrastructure, and regulatory shifts is essential for effective logistics planning. In this issue, we explore the most pressing topics from across the supply chain landscape: from freight rate movements and port congestion to geopolitical impacts, and emerging technologies. Whether you’re an importer, exporter, or logistics partner, this update is designed to provide you with basic insights to navigate today’s complex and rapidly shifting trade environment.
South African Ports
South Africa is home to a network of commercial ports managed by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), each with a unique role in supporting our country’s trade and economic output. Collectively, these ports serve as essential conduits for the export of minerals, vehicles, agricultural goods, and manufactured products — as well as the import of fuel, machinery, consumer goods, and raw materials. Their location along both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts provide strategic access to east-west and north-south global shipping lanes.
Each port is designed to handle specific types of cargo, enabling specialization, improving efficiency, and reducing turnaround times. Below is an overview of the major ports and their core specializations:
Durban Largest container port in Africa. Handles general cargo, containers, vehicles, and breakbulk. Key for imports
and exports of consumer goods.
Cape Town Specializes in fruit and perishable exports, with a strong focus on reefer cargo and wine shipments.
Ngqura A deep-water transshipment hub. Handles containers and bulk commodities and known for
efficiency and modern infrastructure.
Port Elizabeth Focuses on motor vehicle exports and general cargo. Often works alongside Ngqura.
Richards Bay World’s largest coal export terminal. Handles dry bulk mainly coal, minerals, & wood chips.
Saldanha Bay Export hub for iron ore. Deepest natural port in Africa, handling large bulk carriers.
East London Smallest commercial port, known for vehicle exports and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) cargo.
We expand below on the most recent field challenges at our key ports namely Durban, Cape Town and Ngqura (Coega):
The images below highlight vessels currently at anchorage pending berth at our three main ports. Berthing delays are currently estimated at 2-6 days across these ports, which is a major improvement since the start of 2025.
Bayhead Road Rehabilitation Project is underway – June to December 2025. As advised by Transnet, the road closure for this project commenced on Tuesday 17th June and our transporters have not reported any extraordinary delays or congestion.
Road Freight – SA border posts are facing ongoing delays caused by a surge in Customs e-filing queries. These backlogs are impacting truck flows, leading to extended processing times and heightened disruptions to cross-border freight. SADC clearance procedures at borders continue to pose challenges, further contributing to the delays
Airfreight – Imports and exports are currently flowing without major disruptions, with capacity having stabilised after recent periods of high demand. International carriers continue to operate on regular schedules, and freight rates remain largely steady—though premium charges (upsell) may apply for last-minute bookings.
Throughput at Durban on strong upward curve
Looking at past data sets compared to current figures, Pullan says: “The average time on berth has decreased substantially. “This means that the Durban container terminals are performing better than before the crisis in October, November and December 2024, when everything came to a head.”
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/throughput-at-durban-on-strong-upward-curve
TPT’s booking system – different day, same accusations
New complaints have surfaced regarding longstanding issues that harbour carriers in Durban claim continue to hamper the safe, efficient, and viable road freight retrieval of containers at the port’s various terminals.
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/tpts-booking-system-different-day-same-accusations
*Trump imposes 30% tariffs on SA as Pretoria announces ‘urgent interventions’ to protect jobs*
Hours before US President Donald Trump announced 30% tariffs on South Africa, which will come into effect on 7 August rather than 1 August as initially expected, South Africa announced “urgent interventions” to support exporters impacted by the tariffs.
Global Ports
Global ports are the heartbeat of international commerce. Handling more than 80% of the world’s trade by volume, these maritime hubs serve as the critical connection points between producers, markets, and consumers across continents. From the raw materials fuelling manufacturing economies to the finished goods on retail shelves, nearly every product we use has passed through a port at some stage in its journey. The smooth functioning of ports is unfortunately not guaranteed. Disruptions from congestion, weather conditions, infrastructure challenges, labour strikes, or geopolitical tensions, can ripple across supply chains, causing costly delays and uncertainty. We review some of these global factors below.
PORT UPDATES:
Ports not mentioned under each region, experience minor berthing delays of 2 days or less.
AFRICA & INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS
Terminal performance has improved in SA; however vessel schedule changes and carrier rotations persist at last minute.
Angola – Berthing delays of 4 days experienced at Luanda with a container dwell time of 4 days for imports.
Ghana– Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at Tema port due to bunching of vessels.
Namibia – Berthing delays of 6 days at Walvis Bay port due to an increase in volume and congestion.
Ivory Coast– Berthing delays of 3 days at Abidjan port due to yard congestion.
Kenya– Berthing delays of 3 days at Mombasa port
Tanzania– Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at Dar es Salaam. Terminal gates and roads congested, and undergoing maintenance works at the quay.
*Carriers have advised that containers are seeing unscheduled transshipments due to capacity constraints and vessel scheduling. Containers may be off-loaded at unscheduled ports and delays in overall transit times may be experienced. Mombasa and Dar Es Salaam are services most anticipated to be impacted.
Mauritius– Berthing delays of 5 days experienced at Port Louis. Berthing windows are a challenge, and should a vessel miss it’s allocated berthing window, the vessel will likely omit Port Louis and proceed directly to next port of call. This will have an impact on overall transit times and unscheduled transshipments.
NORTH AMERICA
Canada
Canada / SA services are routing over European hubs – extended lead times may be experienced due to ongoing congestion in European ports. Routing is also offered through New York for Toronto and Montreal.
Toronto/ Montreal/ Vancouver – Berthing delays of 2-4 days experienced at these ports.
USA
Schedule adjustments and delays continue on the USA services. Advance bookings are recommended due to increasing volumes and capacity constraints.
New York/New Jersey- Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at these terminals. New York is currently facing high demands
Charleston- Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at this port.
Los Angeles/Long Beach/Norfolk- Berthing delays of 2-6 days experienced at these ports
SA scrambles to beat US tariffs deadline –
https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2025-07-29-sa-scrambles-to-beat-us-tariffs-deadline
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil/Argentina/Mexico – Berthing delays of 2-4 days experienced at main ports.
*Weekly departures now available into Durban and Port Elizabeth.
NORTH WEST CONTINENT, UNITED KINGDOM, MEDITERRANEAN
Belgium/France/Germany/Italy/Netherlands/Spain/Turkey – Berthing delays of 3-5 days experienced at main ports
UK – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at London Gateway Port.
*Ports and terminals in UK and Northern Europe continue to experience high levels of congestion and delays continue out of these regions. All cargo moving via European ports is impacted by extended transit and therefore lead times will increase. This includes transshipment hubs of Algeciras and Las Palmas. Rotterdam, Antwerp, and London Gateway are the most severely impacted.
MSC switches two more Asia-Europe port calls from congested Antwerp
https://theloadstar.com/msc-switches-two-more-asia-europe-port-calls-from-congested-antwerp
INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT & MIDDLE EAST
India/UAE/Sri Lanka – Minor berthing delays of 1-2 days experienced at main ports with Colombo increasing in transhipment volume, expected delays up to 1-2 weeks.
Israel – Berthing delays of 5 days experienced at Ashdod port and 2 days at Haifa. Delays in vessel schedules are expected due to increased security measures.
APAC (Including Oceania)
Qingdao/Shanghai– Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at main ports.
Shekou– Berthing delays of 1 day experienced at main ports with a tightening in customs control in Shenzhen.
*No Major berthing delays noted, only high demand on export capacity.
Singapore– Berthing delays of 2 days experienced. Container transshipments through Singapore may see 1-2 weeks delay
*Freight rates from Asia to South Africa continue to rise, with regular increases on short-term contracts and spot pricing.
*Demand remains high across Asia, and capacity is still constrained, with some carriers fully booked 3 weeks ahead.
*Heavy volumes from South-East Asia are causing ongoing container delays in Singapore, where layovers of 1 to 2 weeks are still being reported. This has led to a backlog, prompting carriers to adjust routings and implement unscheduled transshipments via Singapore to move delayed containers.
*Please note that published direct sailings cannot be guaranteed, as container routings are subject to change without prior notice.
GRIs Fizzle as Transpacific Spot Rates Extend Losing Streak
https://gcaptain.com/gris-fizzle-as-transpacific-spot-rates-extend-losing-streak
With port congestion in Europe proving to be stubbornly persistent, as well as Asia-Europe volumes continuing to hold up, sources suggested carriers were looking to hike rates as the peak season gets under way.
Container shipping market over the first half of 2025
In terms of what meant in terms of market performance in the first half of the year – “In many respects it’s actually being more stable and a less volatile year than 2024 was.”
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/containers/container-shipping-market-outlook-for-h2-2025
https://lot.dhl.com/dhl-ocean-freight-market-update-july-2025/?view=1
*Trump announces historic new US tariffs across the globe*
On top of the tariffs on US imports unveiled Thursday, there are also levies targeting various industries that would pose far-reaching consequences for countries that rely on those sectors.
https://edition.cnn.com/business/live-news/trade-deadline-tariffs-trump-deals
Freight News
We understand the importance of staying up to date with the latest trends, challenges, and advancements in our industry and we wish to highlight just a few articles which you might find of interest.
Inclement weather and Trump tariffs – freight disruption ahead
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/inclement-weather-and-trump-tariffs-freight-disruption-ahead
Strong wave of resurgence at SA’s ports – By Kabelo Khumalo
https://www.sagoodnews.co.za/strong-wave-of-resurgence-at-sas-ports-by-kabelo-khumalo/
Drivers work long hours as harbour carriers battle booking system
Chinese ports container volumes up 6.9% in H1
https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/ports-logistics/chinese-ports-container-volumes-up-6-9-in-h1
CMA CGM eyes Hutchison Ports as MSC deal falters
https://splash247.com/cma-cgm-eyes-hutchison-ports-as-msc-deal-falters/
U.S. Trade Deals Offer Little Relief for Struggling Container Market
https://gcaptain.com/u-s-trade-deals-offer-little-relief-for-struggling-container-market/
Trans-Atlantic ocean trade readies for end to 90 day pause on US tariffs
Greta Shipping enters market with three Middle East – India Subcontinent loops
https://splash247.com/greta-shipping-enters-market-with-three-middle-east-india-subcontinent-loops/
Hong Kong’s CK Hutchinson seeks Chinese investor to join Panama Ports deal.
Sources & References
Seatrade Maritime / Loadstar / Freight News / GoComet / Maersk / Openpr / Transnet / WeFreight / MSC / AfricaPorts / Container Statistics+News / Flexport / SACO / Hellenic Shipping / Worldcargonews/ Maritime Executive / GCaptain/ Linerlytica / Sea Intelligence / Splash247 / Freight Waves / Xeneta / JOC / DHL / SAGoodNews.