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Recently, due to the strong demand in the container market and the continued chaos caused by the Red Sea crisis, there are signs of further congestion at global ports. According to the weekly report released by shipping consulting company Linerlytica on June 3,The container shipping capacity queued up around the world to enter ports rose to 2.1 million TEUs, accounting for 7.1% of the world's total container shipping capacity.
also,Many major ports in Europe and the United States face the threat of strikes, adding fuel to the already chaotic global shipping situation.
Foreign traders who ship goods to the following ports must pay attention to local port risks and remind customers to pay attention in a timely manner!
Singapore port congestion
The congestion at the Port of Singapore, the world's second-largest container port and a major transshipment hub in Asia, is critical to global trade.
Number of containers waiting to be berthed in Singapore surges in May, during the peak period in late May, the highest number of containers waiting to be berthed reached 480,600 20-foot standard containers.
In order to alleviate congestion, the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) reactivated the old berths and yards of the abandoned Keppel Terminal, and also added a large amount of manpower to deal with the container backlog problem.
But according to a recent report by Asian container consulting firm Linerlytica,Container ships may currently have to wait up to about seven days to get a berth in Singapore, compared with up to half a day under normal circumstances.
Linerlytica recently reported that this resulted inSome shipping companies have abandoned calling in Singapore and switched to ports in other neighboring countries such as Malaysia, putting greater pressure on already congested and low-capacity ports. , The situation may worsen in the coming month.
The Port of Durban is the largest container port in South Africa, but according to the 2023 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) released by the World Bank,Among the 405 container ports in the world, Durban Port ranks 398th.
Congestion at the Port of Durban is rooted in extreme weather and an equipment failure at port operator Transnet, which has left more than 90 ships waiting outside the port.The congestion is expected to last for months, with shipping giants imposing a congestion surcharge on South African importers due to a lack of maintenance and availability of equipment, further exacerbating the economic pressure.
Colombo Port, due to labor shortage and declining efficiency,The Port of Colombo has a backlog of 50,000 TEUs of cargo, which has led to shipping delays and rate increases, and has thrown cargo transshipment into chaos at an important transit port in South Asia.Freight rates in Colombo have doubled due to congestion and delays, with shippers required to book a slot eight weeks in advance.
The congestion at Colombo Port not only affects itself but also its neighbors India and Bangladesh.
Strikes at all major French ports
News on June 10, All major French ports, especially the container hubs of Le Havre and Marseille-Fos, face the threat of a month-long strike in the near future, which is expected to cause severe operational disruption and disruption.
The strike follows several one-day strikes and multiple four-hour work stoppages planned by the union representing dockworkers and other port workers in June to protest against government pension reforms that would raise the mandatory retirement age.
On June 7, last Friday, the first 24-hour strike broke out. The union plans to continue strike action in the coming weeks and could extend it into July if the union fails to get a satisfactory answer from the government.
It is reported that during the first strike, at the Port of Le Havre, ro-ro ships, bulk carriers and container terminals were blocked by dock workers, resulting in the cancellation of the docking of four ships and the delay of 18 other ships. Meanwhile, in Marseille-Fos, some 600 dockers and other port workers blocked the main entrance to the container terminal for trucks. In addition, the French ports of Dunkirk, Rouen, Bordeaux and Nantes Saint-Nazaire were also affected.
Strike at the Port of Hamburg
On June 7, local time, port workers at the Port of Hamburg in Germany launched a warning strike, causing terminal operations to be suspended. Terminals of companies such as Hamburg Port and Logistics AG (HHLA) and Eurogate are affected as a result. HHLA said its branches in Hamburg will join the strike, including the Burchardkai (CTB), Altenwerder (CTA) and Tollerort (CTT) container terminals.
Freight forwarding giant Kuehne Nagel issued an early warning on its official website, saying that following the strike at the Port of Hamburg, the union Verdi also announced two more strikes in Bremen and Bremerhaven.
Strike threats at U.S. East and Gulf of Mexico ports
The latest news is that the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) has stopped negotiations due to concerns about the use of automatic door systems at APM Terminals.It could trigger strikes by longshoremen in the eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico.ILA is the largest longshoremen's union in the United States.
The port gridlock on the U.S. East Coast mirrors what will happen on the West Coast for much of 2022 and 2023. Last June, 29 ports on the U.S. West Coast finally reached an agreement on a six-year labor contract, ending 13 months of tense negotiations, strikes and the relocation of cargo to other locations.
At present, European and American retailers have started restocking in advance to cope with transportation delays and supply chain uncertainty. Foreign traders who are busy shipping must pay attention to changes in freight rates and shipping spaces!
