Welcome to our last Global Logistics Update for the month of September. The logistics industry continues to face challenges and transformations on a global scale and current trends indicate how the shipping industry is rapidly evolving to address current challenges and future demands.
South African Ports
South African ports continue to experience delays and operational challenges. Week 39 brought about adverse weather conditions, particularly high winds, causing major delays at key ports. Durban port experienced strong winds reported at 75km/h last week, disrupting both landside and waterside operations and currently Durban is experiencing heavy rain. Appointment slots were cancelled while port was on standby delaying container collection and onward deliveries. Vessel waiting times also worsened due to the congestion and ongoing equipment challenges. Cape Town experienced significant congestion in stagging areas, leaving trucks waiting for longer periods of time than usual and transporters to have reported missing their appointment slots due to the congestion. Coega waiting times also increased due to strong winds and equipment challenges. Efforts are ongoing to clear these delays and address operational inefficiencies across the main ports and we hope to see faster turnaround times at all major ports across South Africa.
We highlight in the images below, vessels currently at anchorage pending berth at our major ports, showing a vast increase outside Durban.
Transnet Anchorage Report 30th September 2024
Port congestion and delays have been reported with Durban at 15 days, Cape Town 8 days and Coega 6-10 days on average.
Ports of Cape Town and Ngqura receive new mooring units
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has delivered six hydraulic shore tension units to the Ports of Cape Town and Ngqura to help curb shipping and cargo-handling delays caused by high swells at the busy ports.
TNPA said the latest delivery brought the total number of mooring units delivered to the ports to 12 as part of a batch of 52 units procured in September 2023. Eight new units were also previously installed at the ports prior to the acquisition.
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/ports-cape-town-and-ngqura-receive-new-mooring-units
MSC NOTICE: MSC no longer accepts to co-load any type of lithium batteries with other dangerous cargo in the same container to safeguard public/crew/equipment and vessels
Maersk Line Update on SA Port Terminals – week 39
South African terminal performance remains challenged. Equipment downtime – quay and yard – is the leading cause reducing productivity and driving port congestion. DCT is the major terminal bottleneck with waiting time at +7-13 days. Gate appointments are highly constrained. Dry equipment persists in Cape Town.
Global Port Statistics
Port Updates:
East African Ports: Some congestion experienced at these ports with no severe impact
Angola – Berthing delays of 4 days experienced at Luanda Port
AFC Signs Concession Agreements with Governments of Angola and Zambia to advance Zambia Lobito Rail Project
Tanzania – Berthing delays of 8 days experienced at Dar es Salaam port. High levels of congestion continue
Kenya – Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at Mombasa port
Mauritius/Nigeria/Senegal – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at main ports
No more than 1 Day berthing delay at alternative African Ports
Canada:
Toronto – Berthing delays of 8 days experienced at this port
Montreal – Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at this port
Vancouver – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at this port
USA: The port strikes announced by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) at the U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports have not yet been confirmed. Negotiations on a new contract continue
New York/New Jersey – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days. Truck line congestion continues at Port Elizabeth / Port Newark roadways. APM Terminal will be opento help alleviate congestion and facilitate container deliveries prior to October 1, 2024.
Norfolk – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days. VIT will be open to help alleviate congestion and facilitate container deliveries prior to October 1, 2024.
Charleston – Vessel waiting time is up to 3 days.
Savannah – Vessel waiting time is up to 5 days.
Miami/Port Everglades – Vessel waiting time is up to 3 days.
Houston – Vessel waiting time is up to 4 days.
Oakland – Vessel waiting time is up to 5 days.
Los Angeles/Long Beach – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days.
Seattle – Vessel waiting time is up to 7 days. Due to the current vessel schedule, Washington United Terminal will be offering limited gates.
Argentina/Brazil/Mexico – Berthing delays of 2-4 days experienced at these ports.
North West Continent, UK, Meditterranean: Vessel schedule delays continue to impact the region. Amended port rotations and port omissions on the carrier services, as well as vessel changes, cascading / rolled schedules and blank sailings may result in amended cargo loading schedules.
Belgium/France/Turkey – Berthing delays of 4 days experienced at major ports.
Germany – Berthing delays of 5 days experienced at Hamburg and 2 days at Bremerhaven
Netherlands – Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at Rotterdam port
Italy/Spain/Sweden – Berthing delays of 2-3 days experienced at major ports
United Kingdom – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at London Gateway Port
Indian Sub-Continent & Middle East: Capacity constraints continue to be experienced on services out of the Indian Sub-Continent
India – Import services out of Nheva Sheva is under severe pressure and remains congested. Berthing delay of 3 days experienced at Nhava Sheva and Chennai ports
CFS update for LCL cargo: Heavy inventory at Nhava Sheva’s APMT terminal, exceeding 20,000 TEUs, has caused severe congestion, with vehicles taking up to 18 hours to enter. This has affected other terminal movements, with total inventory reaching 75,000 TEUs. The congested yard space has led to containers being “buried” in stock, disrupting processes. The resulting delays are tripling turnaround times. While the Nhava Sheva CFS team is working to manage the situation, some containers may miss cut-offs and be rolled over to later vessels.
UAE – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at Jebel Ali port.
APAC: Capacity challenges experienced in recent weeks have improved however all parties continue to work with multiple carriers to ensure we maintain schedule integrity.
China – Golden week holidays are approaching, which also means a high demand for space in the weeks prior and post 1 – 7 October.
Ningbo/Shanghai – Berthing delays of 3-4 days experienced at major ports
Korea/Taiwan – Berthing delays of 2 days experienced at major ports
Singapore – This port remains heavily congested impacting services imports and exports that are routed via Singapore. In a drive to avoid a fall in container rates, many shipping lines have blanked several export sailings from Asia – this prior to the Chinese national holiday from 1 October. The blank sailings will likely result in upward rate pressure.
Airfreight demand has spiked but manageable.
Bottlenecks begin to form in Asia as air peak season approaches
On the eve of the peak airfreight season, most Asian gateways are running without problems, but some bottlenecks have begun to appear, particularly out of South-east Asia and the Philippines. And, according to the latest Dimerco Asia Pacific Freight Report, despite sinking volumes, exporters using container lines are also facing challenges as a result of a sharp rise in blank sailings.
https://theloadstar.com/bottlenecks-begin-to-form-in-asia-as-air-peak-season-approaches/
USMX files unfair labour practice charge in bid to resume negotiations with ILA
US east and Gulf coast port employers’ association USMX has filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which could lead to the resumption of negotiations with the ILA.
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.
Helene flooding strands hundreds of North Carolina residents as storm’s death toll reaches 95
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/29/weather/hurricane-helene-florida-georgia-carolinas-sunday/index.html
Indian government intervenes to help exporters facing higher costs
https://theloadstar.com/indian-government-intervenes-to-help-exporters-facing-higher-costs/
Shippers urged to make provision for imminent strike – US
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/shippers-urged-make-provision-imminent-strike
US east coast carriers and rail operators introduce pre-strike restrictions
https://theloadstar.com/us-east-coast-carriers-and-rail-operators-introduce-pre-strike-restrictions/
Ramaphosa: Minerals sector critical to global growth
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/ramaphosa-minerals-sector-critical-global-growth
Transnet launches EIA process for LNG terminal at Port of Ngqura
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/transnet-launches-eia-process-lng-terminal-port-ngqura
Port performance in SA stable for the second week in a row
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/port-performance-sa-stable-second-week-row
New freight joint venture at Munich Airport
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/new-freight-joint-venture-munich-airport
Sources & References
Seatrade Maritime / Loadstar / Freight News / GoComet / Maersk / MSC / Transnet / WeFreight / Beacon / Reuters / MSC / AfricaPorts / Container Statistics / Flexport / SACO