Good morning, Clients & Partners,

Below please find our latest industry update & news.

As always, we will keep you posted on any impacts to your cargo on an individual shipment level. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

SOUTH AFRICA    

DURBAN

Port berthing delays have increased since week 21. The port has reported windy weather during the

week. The situation continues to deteriorate with increased delays in vessel berthing seen. SACO

CFR will continue to monitor and keep you updated of changes.

• Pier 1 : 3 days
• Pier 2 : 3 days
• Durban Point : 4 days

CAPE TOWN

Berthing delays at terminals in Cape Town has increased since week 21. The port experienced

strong winds during the week. High volumes of cargo and traffic at Cape Town terminals.

• CTCT : 6 days
• MPT : 5 days

PORT ELIZABETH

Port berthing delays have remained the same as seen in week 21. The port has reported windy

weather during the week.

• PECT : 2-3 days
• NCT : 1-2 days

AFRICA & INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS    

Port congestion in West African ports continues to be experienced leading to increased delays and

affecting overall transit times published on our services.

MAURITIUS

• Reduced berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Port Louis.

ANGOLA

• No berthing delays days experienced at Luanda port.

GHANA

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Tema port.

NIGERIA

• Increased berthing delays of 7 days experienced at Apapa port.

TANZANIA

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Dar es Salaam port.

KENYA

• Berthing delays of 1 day experienced at Mombasa port.

MOZAMBIQUE

• Pre-Inspection Certificates will become mandatory for specified products being imported into Mozambique. The Pre-inspection Certificates (Certificate of Conformity – COC) will be required by Customs in Mozambique for Customs’ clearance processes. The COC must be obtained by the shipper / exporter prior to shipment being loaded for Mozambique. Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Maputo port.

NAMIBIA

• No berthing delays experienced at Walvis Bay port.

NORTH AMERICA    

USA

Terminals Updates:

• NY/NJ – Vessel waiting time is up to 1 day.
• Norfolk – Vessel waiting time is up to 1 day. 
• Savannah – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days.
• Charleston – Vessel waiting time is down to 1 day. Maintenance dredging at Wando Welch Terminal continues.
• Miami/Port Everglades – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days.
• Houston – Vessel waiting time is up to 2 days. Barbours Cut Container Terminal continues to experience berth congestion due to high yard utilization.
• Los Angeles/ Long Beach – Vessel waiting time is up to 4 days.
• Seattle – Vessel waiting time is up to 3 days.
• Oakland – Vessel waiting time is at 3 days

Rail Updates:

• Rail ramp is currently experiencing congestion in Chicago, Columbus, and Los Angeles.

Equipment Availability:

• Due to persistent congestion nationwide, chassis shortages continue to be observed resulting in potential delays for pick-up and delivery.

CANADA    

Vancouver

• No berth congestion and ships are working immediately once alongside. Rail productivity remains below expectations due to reduced car supply by both rail providers. Dwell times remain high at 5.3 days and it is expected that this will remain high as both railcar supply remains inconsistent.

Montreal

• Vessels are arriving on proforma schedule. Once alongside, productivity is stable and vessel changes are not expected. There are no issues with labour availability, and there is good productivity in the terminal yard.

LATIN AMERICA    

BRAZIL

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Santos port.

NORTH WEST CONTINENT, UNITED KINGDOM, MEDITERRANEAN    

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 LCL cargo loading schedules

BELGIUM

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Antwerp port. AGW Terminal received 3 new gantry cranes currently undergoing testing, will be available for full operations during the summer.

GERMANY

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Bremerhaven port and 2 days at Hamburg port.

UNITED KINGDOM

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at London Gateway port. Due to ongoing pier extension works 20m less quay space available but with no impact to operations

SPAIN

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Barcelona port.

PORTUGAL

• Strike expected affecting tug and pilot services that are mandatory for vessels sailing into the port of Lisbon. Therefore, operational disruptions expected.

ITALY

• Berthing delays of 3 days experienced at Genova and La Spezia ports. Genova, GPT terminal has possible gate in restrictions for DG exports, due to elevate number of IMO park limitations.

NETHERLANDS

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Rotterdam port. Port of Rotterdam with the second busy week which led to smaller delays due to Pilot and Tugboat capacity shortages.

FRANCE

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Le Havre port and 2 days at Fos-sur-Mer port. Strike actions confirmed for 06/07/08 of June with 4 hours of operational stoppages per day. Impact expected to be minimal. 

TURKEY

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Istanbul port.

INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT and MIDDLE EAST    

Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent carrier capacity remains available from the region, and delays

in vessel scheduling remains the only challenge impacting the region. Schedules are maintained

where possible and multiple carriers are used on these services to maintain service reliability.

Carrier Ocean Network Express has announced their AIM service will include a direct call to Hazira

port from June 2023.

INDIA

• No berthing delays experienced at Nhava Sheva and Chennai ports. Only one berth available at Nhava Sheva GTI due to terminal upgrade.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Jebel Ali port.

SRI LANKA

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Colombo port.

ASIA PACIFIC (Including Oceania)    

Hazardous commodity acceptance out of China remains a challenge as approval for loading remains

subject to carriers’ stringent acceptance protocols.

HONG KONG

• Berthing delay of 1 day being experienced.

TAIWAN

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Kaohsiung port.

SHANGHAI / NINGBO

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Shanghai port and 3 days at Ningbo port.

QINGDAO

• Berthing delays of 3 days experienced.

XIAMEN

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced.

XINGANG

• Reduced berthing delay of 1 day experienced.

KOREA

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Busan port. Vessel bunching occurred outside the port.

VIETNAM

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced at Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh ports.

SINGAPORE

• Berthing delay of 1 day experienced.

NEWS UPDATES    

Trucking industry under pressure amidst numerous challenges

Date: 01st June 2023

“The trucking industry in South Africa finds itself under immense pressure as it grapples with a myriad of challenges that threaten its stability and profitability.

According to the Road Freight Association, the sector faces an uphill battle – from soaring fuel prices

to frequent truck attacks, load shedding, and financing issues. The association’s CEO, Gavin Kelly, underscored the importance of collaboration and robust debate to find practical solutions to the industry’s challenges in his opening address at this year’s RFA conference.

Kelly acknowledged that road freight could no longer be the only mode of transport in the country.

“Our standpoint is clear that road plays an important role, but so does rail. Rail has a critical role, and

part of our job as a road freight sector is to get the rail to carry its share of the load.

Kelly stressed to conference members the importance of adhering to standards, particularly regarding road safety. [1] 

Cargo shifts back to US west coast ports, but some has gone for good

Date: 2nd June 2023

“Beneficial cargo owners have begun to move traffic back to US west coast ports from the east. The western gateways lost volumes to ports on the east and Gulf coasts after concerns of potential

lockdowns or congestion. The return is driven partly by rising confidence that serious disruptions will not occur, and partly as a result of cost pressure.

According to Descartes Datamyne, west coast ports processed 40% of US container imports in the

first quarter this year, down from 45% in the same period in 2019. But now, said Bob Imbriani, SVP international of forwarder Team Worldwide: “We’re seeing more freight going back to the west coast.”

Ports have noticed the uptick. Last month, Gene Seroka, executive director of the port of Los

Angeles, said box volume rose 28% from February to March and another 10% from March to April –

and he expected the trend to continue last month.

Much of the shift away from the west has been attributed to worries about a work stoppage at the

ports during contract negotiations between port labour and the lines and terminal operators. These

talks have dragged on […]. 

Cost is another strong factor to prompt cargo owners to return to the west coast. Mr Imbriani

noted: “Rates to the west coast are down dramatically.” It is hard to get a handle on how much traffic cargo owners are bringing back to the west coast, but there is broad agreement that some has gone for good. [2] 

‘Aging-out’ in European haulage could lead to a ‘demographic time-bomb’

Date: 2nd June 2023

“Hauliers must recalibrate their route networks to alleviate the strain on Europe’s beleaguered road

transport sector caused by the ever-worsening driver shortage.

According to the IRU, the shortage across Europe exceeds 380,000, accounting for approximately

10% of demand, with hauliers and governments seeming unable to act.

Martin Gussinklo, SVP of FedEx Express’s European road network, “There is no one cause, nor one solution to the driver shortage; but we know a major issue is the reticence of the younger generation to take jobs that mean they are away from home for long periods.”

Data from the IRU suggest this ‘aging-out’ in Europe’s haulage sector could lead to a “demographic

time-bomb” as the continent boasts the highest average driver age, 47, in the world.

Mr Gussinklo said everything from hiring rates to conversations in the community showed there had

been a reassessment on “work/life balance” and the younger generation had decided the job needed

to change to attract them back. “This is really the biggest issue, it is this change in mindset between the generations that is worsening the driver shortage,” he continued. “We cannot alter that, so instead we have to amend how we plan our routes, and this is where we are seeing real potential.

“It would mean breaking trips down, so drivers take on legs that allow them only to be away for a

single night at most.” [3] 

Shipping emissions continue to drop ahead of MEPC 80

Date: 29th May 2023

“Five weeks from today sees the start of the keenly anticipated 80th gathering of the Marine

Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a meeting where the shipping industry will likely hear about forthcoming more stringent green targets.

Shipping has faced significant pressure from regulators and NGOs alike to slash emissions, but new

analysis from Clarksons Research places the industry’s carbon footprint in a different light.

The latest estimates from Clarksons suggest that shipping’s emissions on a tank-to-wake basis will

contribute 2.1% and 822m tonnes of global CO2 output in 2023, down marginally on 2022’s figures of

2.3% and 845m tonnes as slower speeds impact.

While other transport sectors have seen emissions grow in recent years, shipping has managed to keep reducing its carbon footprint. [4] 

SOURCE INFO & REFERENCES     

SACO CFR | Hapag Lloyd | Maersk | MSC | Transnet | The LoadStar Publications | gCaptain.com | Shipco Transport | Splash247.com | Freightnews by FTW

[1] https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/trucking-industry-under-pressure-amidst-numerous-challenges 

[2] https://theloadstar.com/cargo-shifts-back-to-us-west-coast-ports-but-some-has-gone-for-good/

[3] https://theloadstar.com/aging-out-in-european-haulage-could-lead-to-a-demographic-time-bomb/

[4] https://splash247.com/shipping-emissions-continue-to-drop-ahead-of-mepc-80/

We’re here to answer any questions or queries. Also, have a lekker weekend.

Best regards,

JJ & The Inter-Sped Team