Dear Clients and Partners,
Please find below our latest weekly update — 23 October 2026.
As always, the team are ready to assist with any queries you may have.
Critical Alerts This Week
Durban: Pier 1 at 7-17 days and Pier 2 (DGT) at 3-11 days; DGT average anchorage wait of 10.5 days with an estimated backlog of ~30,000 container moves, DGT productivity is improving.
Gulf: Dubai at 34 days, Abu Dhabi at 21 days, Al Fujairah at 16 days and Dammam at 12 days; Strait of Hormuz disruption and carrier booking restrictions continue.
Africa & Indian Ocean Islands: Beira at 20 days; some Abidjan vessels waiting up to 12 days to berth; civil unrest and a curfew in Mauritius halted Port Louis night shifts, causing extended delays and some vessel omissions.
Asia–South Africa: capacity extremely tight with booking rolls and non-release of bookings; further rate increases expected into November. Shanghai schedule reliability at about 12-21%, Qingdao slippage of 3-10 days during military exercises, and Typhoon Champi reached Taiwan on 23 October.
South Africa
Air Freight:
General: Rates remain elevated. Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity. Fuel Surcharge on most airlines have increased.
Ethiopian Airlines faces on-forwarding backlogs on connecting flights from Addis Ababa.
SA Airlink and SAA have backlogs into Africa.
For Exports Ex-South Africa British Airways /Turkish Airlines/ Qatar/KLM is upselling rates at time of booking due to capacity.
Backlogs out of the Far East due to typhoons in China persist but are easing.
Sea Freight:
Durban congestion persists at both Pier 1 and DGT, although DGT waterside productivity is up and landside also up. Wind gusts expected on Sunday and Monday may delay Cape Town, where the deciduous fruit export peak will pressure reefer plugs.
Next public holiday: 4 November (Local Government Elections).
KwaZulu-Natal (Durban)
- Pier 1: 7-17 days; two cranes on long breakdown; equipment failures; some vessel delays up to 14 days — Critical
- Pier 2 (DGT): 3-11 days; average anchorage wait 10.5 days; berth delay 5.3 days; backlog about 30,000 moves; gate-in/out delays — Critical
- Point: 0-1 days — Stable
Western Cape (Cape Town)
- CTCT: 0-2 days; wind delays may affect productivity and berth planning — Moderate
- MPT: 0-1 days; equipment repair in progress — Stable
Eastern Cape (Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth)
- PECT: 0-2 days; strong winds Sunday 25th may impact operations — Moderate
- NCT: 2-3 days; wind delays in Week 43 — Moderate
Africa & Indian Ocean Islands
Air Freight:
General: Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity
Ethiopian Airlines is sitting with backlogs of 5 to 7 days Ex-Addis Ababa.
SA Airlink and SAA faces Congestion into Africa.
Sea Freight:
Conakry congestion is particularly severe, with bottlenecks at Tema and Abidjan; carrier congestion surcharges and PSS increases are taking effect. Civil unrest in Mauritius disrupted Port Louis this week, and above-normal October-December rainfall raises inland transport risk across East Africa.
West Africa
- Namibia — Walvis Bay: 1 day; intermittent wind gusts all week — Stable
- Angola — Luanda: 8 days — Disrupted
- Ghana — Tema: 6 days; high yard utilisation; reefer congestion; trucking shortages — Disrupted
- Ghana — Takoradi: 3 days — Moderate
- Nigeria — Apapa: 4 days; landside trucking and Customs clearance bottlenecks — Moderate
- Nigeria — Tin Can: 2 days — Moderate
- Côte d’Ivoire — Abidjan: 7 days; high yard occupancy; truck shortages; some vessels waiting up to 12 days to berth — Disrupted
Indian Ocean Islands
- Mauritius — Port Louis: 0-4 days; civil unrest and curfew; night shift suspended; some vessel omissions; stabilising — Disrupted
- Madagascar — Toamasina / Tamatave: 4 days; yard congestion; RN2 corridor congestion; terminal improving — Moderate
- Réunion — Réunion: 4 days — Moderate
East Africa
- Mozambique — Beira: 20 days; wind gusts and rain — Critical
- Mozambique — Maputo: 1 day; wind gusts and rain — Stable
- Kenya — Mombasa: 5 days; high yard utilisation; empty-container imbalance; Customs delays; pressure into November — Disrupted
- Tanzania — Dar es Salaam: 2 days — Moderate
Middle East & Indian Sub-Continent
Sea Freight:
Strait of Hormuz disruption, Gulf booking restrictions, war-risk premiums and congestion surcharges keep Gulf risk high, with growing reliance on landbridge solutions. India–South Africa capacity remains tight; rates stable but high.
Indian Sub-Continent
- India — Nhava Sheva: 3 days; high dwell times; road congestion; gate delays — Moderate
- India — Chennai: 1 day; Colombo transshipment exposure — Stable
- India — Mundra: 3 days; schedule disruption from Middle East routing changes — Moderate
- Sri Lanka — Colombo: 0-2 days; transshipment congestion; missed feeder connections; vessel omissions — Moderate
- Pakistan — Karachi: 3 days — Moderate
Middle East-Gulf
- UAE — Jebel Ali: 8 days — Disrupted
- UAE — Khor Fakkan: 6 days — Disrupted
- UAE — Al Fujairah: 16 days — Critical
- UAE — Sharjah: 1 day; LCL cleared and collected at Jebel Ali CFS — Stable
- UAE — Abu Dhabi: 21 days — Critical
- UAE — Dubai: 34 days — Critical
- Saudi Arabia — Jeddah: 5 days; elevated cargo diversion; security-related disruptions — Disrupted
- Saudi Arabia — King Abdullah: 3 days — Moderate
- Saudi Arabia — Dammam: 12 days; security-related disruptions; constrained air and ocean capacity — Critical
North America
Air Freight:
General: Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity
Sea Freight:
US–South Africa services continue to see port omissions, amended rotations and unscheduled transshipments linked to Durban; railcar shortages, Panama Canal draft restrictions and post-Golden Week vessel bunching add pressure.
Canada
- Canada — Montreal: 2 days — Moderate
- Canada — Vancouver: 3 days; rail capacity constraints; inland terminal congestion — Moderate
United States
- USA — New York: 3 days; high imports; drayage congestion at peak gate periods — Moderate
- USA — Savannah: 3 days; chassis shortages; inland drayage pressure — Moderate
- USA — Los Angeles: 3 days — Moderate
- USA — Long Beach: 3 days — Moderate
Latin America
Air Freight:
General: Rates remain elevated. All areas are running with some capacity constraints experienced on some routings. Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity
KLM congested.
Sea Freight:
Mexico’s Pacific ports remain the main pressure point after Hurricanes Simon and Trudy; most South American gateways operate with manageable congestion, while agricultural exports and year-end restocking tighten equipment and capacity.
Argentina
- Argentina — Buenos Aires: 2 days — Moderate
Brazil
- Brazil — Paranaguá: 0 day — Stable
- Brazil — Santos: 2 days; high agri and container volumes — Moderate
Mexico
- Mexico — Altamira: 3 days; absorbing diversions from Pacific gateways — Moderate
- Mexico — Veracruz: 2 days — Moderate
- Mexico — Manzanillo: 7 days; hurricane closures; backlog recovery; congestion into early November — Disrupted
Europe — NW Continent, UK & Med
Air Freight:
General: Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity
Sea Freight:
Durban-linked omissions keep Europe–South Africa transit times elevated and carriers have issued Peak Season Surcharges. A one-day strike is called at French ports on 30 October, and fuel-cost protests disrupted road transport in Southern Italy (easing as at 23 October).
North-West Continent
- Belgium — Antwerp: 2 days; high storage density — Moderate
- Netherlands — Rotterdam: 2 days; elevated yard occupancy; some extended berthing delays — Moderate
- France — Le Havre: 5 days; IT incident at Terminal de Normandie; port strike called 30 October — Disrupted
- Germany — Hamburg: 2 days; CTA works; some vessel delays 5-7 days; some carriers omitting CTA — Moderate
- Germany — Bremerhaven: 1 day — Stable
United Kingdom
- UK — London Gateway: 2 days — Moderate
Mediterranean
- Italy — Genoa: 2 days; Southern Italy protests; inland trucking delays — Moderate
- Italy — La Spezia: 3 days — Moderate
- Spain — Barcelona: 3 days; Med network realignments — Moderate
- Turkey — Istanbul: 4 days; strong export volumes — Moderate
- Turkey — Izmir: 1 day; inland truck capacity constraints — Stable
Asia Pacific (incl. Oceania)
Air Freight:
General: Peak season in full swing. Rates are higher and are dependent on space capacity
Sea Freight:
Asia–South Africa capacity is extremely tight across all origins, with booking rolls, non-release of bookings and constrained CFS operations; cargo is moving first-in-first-out and further rate increases are expected into November.
China
- China — Hong Kong: 1 day; capacity constraints; schedule unreliability — Stable
- China — Nansha / Guangzhou: 2 days; capacity constraints; schedule unreliability — Moderate
- China — Ningbo: 2 days; significant congestion; reliability about 17-35%; severe capacity constraints — Moderate
- China — Qingdao: 2 days; military exercises to 30 November; schedule slippage 3-10 days — Disrupted
- China — Shanghai: 3 days; severe backlogs; berthing delays up to 5 days; reliability about 12-21% — Disrupted
- China — Shekou / Shenzhen: 0 day; yard density above 90% — Moderate
- China — Xiamen: 1 day; capacity constraints — Stable
- China — Tianjin / Xingang: 4 days; capacity constraints; schedule unreliability — Moderate
- China — Dalian: 2 days; capacity constraints; schedule unreliability — Moderate
South-East Asia
- Singapore — Singapore: 2 days; elevated vessel queues; transshipment delays of 15-21 days reported — Moderate
- Thailand — Bangkok (THBKK): 1 day; localised flooding; airfreight also affected — Stable
- Thailand — Laem Chabang: 1 day; flood-related disruption in some areas — Stable
North Asia
- Korea — Busan (KRPUS): 2 days; high yard occupancy — Moderate
- Korea — Busan (KRBNP): 2 days; high yard occupancy — Moderate
- Taiwan — Kaohsiung: 2 days; Typhoon Champi response; cargo and Customs disruption — Moderate
- Taiwan — Keelung: 1 day; Typhoon Champi response; cargo and Customs disruption — Stable
Trade News
Global container rates: The Drewry World Container Index rose 2% for 40ft container, driven by Asia–Europe and Transpacific rates; its second consecutive weekly increase and highest level in 15 weeks. (Drewry, 22 October 2026)
Diesel levy relief: The diesel levy will be cut; the Road Freight Association says this gives transporters breathing space. (Freight News, 22 October 2026)
Border vehicle checks: The Border Management Authority plans to expand its Vehicle Targeting System to eight ports of entry by February 2027; it currently operates at Maseru Bridge, Lebombo, Vioolsdrif, Beitbridge, Ficksburg and Caledonspoort. (Freight News, 19 October 2026)
Durban DGT recovery: DGT reported two-week gains of about 15% in total moves, but 11 vessels remained at anchorage as at 15 October with about 30,352 moves waiting, and around 10,000 containers redirected via Pier 1/Point. (SAAFF/BUSA Cargo Movement Update via EWC, 15 October 2026)
Key Articles This Week
- Ocean Trade Summary — Issue 36/2026 (SACO, 23 October 2026)
- World Container Index — 22 Oct (Drewry, 22 October 2026)
- Diesel levy relief gives transporters breathing space (Freight News, 22 October 2026)
- BMA to expand vehicle checks to eight border posts (Freight News, 19 October 2026)
- Cargo Movement Update – 11 October 2026 (EWC, 15 October 2026)
And that’s it – as always, the Inter-Sped team is ready to jump for you!
Best Regards, Jason & The Inter-Sped Team
