Below please find our weekly industry update.

As always, we will keep you posted on any impacts to your cargo on an individual shipment level.

SOUTH AFRICAN PORTS

Advisory issued by Transnet with regards to their EDI systems being down on both the 2nd and 3rd of February 2023. During these periods, cargo due orders were not processed however, orders would be updated once functionality was restored. 

DURBAN 

• Vessel berthing delays at all piers remain the same as week 4. The port has reported strong winds during the week. 

               Pier 1 : 1-2 days

               Pier 2 : 2-3 days

               Durban Point : 3 days 

• The GNPA Port of Durban has also sent out an advisory confirming that their operational have been negatively affected by “challenges” with tugs – see below for your ease of reference nd that they are doing their utmost to deal with the situation as best they can:

CAPE TOWN 

• Vessel berthing delays at CTCT and CTMPT remain the same as week 4. The port has reported extreme wind speeds during the week:

CTCT : 7 days 

MPT : 3-7 days 

PORT ELIZABETH 

• Although bad weather has been reported during the week, vessel berthing delays remains unchanged from week 4: 

PECT – 0-1 days 

NCT – 0 days 

AFRICA & INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS

MAURITIUS 

• Due to recent flooding in Mauritius, operations have been affected and delays are expected. 

TANZANIA 

• Berthing delays of 7-9 days remain at Dar es Salaam port. 

KENYA 

• Berthing delays of 3 days remain at Mombasa port.

MOZAMBIQUE 

• The country recently experienced strong winds due to the impact of Tropical Storm Cheneso. No significant impact to the ports and operations are continuing as per normal. 

GHANA 

• Berthing delay of 1 day remain at Tema port. 

ANGOLA 

• Berthing delay of 3 days remain at Luanda port. V

NORTH AMERICA

USA 

• Important to note that the current AMEX schedule remains erratic; with delays being experienced in both SA ports and USA ports. 
• Equipment availability: There are continuous chassis shortages in Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, and Louisville.
• Savannah and Charleston: Due to fog, intermittent port closures were experienced during the week. 

• Houston: Barbour’s Cut terminal is expected to experience berth congestion and labour shortages in the coming days due to Bayport vessels taking up most of the gangs. 
• Oakland: Vessel berthing delays are expected due to the influx of imports. Average wait time of up to 3 / 24 days.

CANADA 

• Extreme cold temperatures expected for the next few days in Montreal which will likely impact on terminal productivity and rail performance.

NORTH WEST CONTINENT, UNITED KINGDOM, MEDITERRANEAN

Vessel schedule delays continue to impact the region. 

BELGIUM 

• All ANR terminals still have export delivery restrictions in place. Export cargo delivery gates will be opened only 7 days prior vessel ETA. 

NETHERLANDS 

• Berth line-up with less vessels alongside. The terminal is able to advance vessel departures. Import dwell times increased. 

GERMANY 

• Terminal has recovered completely and is performing again. Berth line-up with gaps due to less vessels. UK Port congestion is noticeable. 

SPAIN 

• Containers transhipping in Algeciras are still experiencing delays however this has improved from the 3-4 weeks encountered in past weeks. 

PORTUGAL 

• There is a strike expected in Lisbon, Portugal until February 5, 2023. 

FRANCE

• Dockers strike confirmed for the 7th of February 2023 for the 48 hours at the Le Havre port, as well as the For-Sur-Mer port in France. No cargo operations are expected during this time. 

ITALY 

• Containers transhipping in Algeciras are still experiencing delays however this has improved from the 3-4 weeks encountered in past weeks. 

INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT and MIDDLE EAST

INDIA 

• All ports and terminals are operating efficiently. 
• Hazardous commodity acceptance out of India remains a challenge as approval for loading remains subject to carriers stringent acceptance protocols. 

UAE 

• Jebel Ali port currently has a single day berthing delay. 

ASIA PACIFIC

The majority of ports and terminals are operating efficiently with the only delays being experienced being on vessel scheduling. 

Hazardous commodity acceptance out of China remains a challenge as approval for loading remains subject to carriers stringent acceptance protocols. 

QINGDAO

• Intermittent port closure due and congestion experienced due to strong winds and dense fog is still being experienced. 

NANSHA 

• Due to COVID-19 policy adjustment by China authorities, both pilot and stevedore availability is reduced by 10% approximately, lower vessel productivity and longer vessel port stay time is expected. 

SINGAPORE 

• No transhipment delays being experienced however, due to carrier scheduling delays vessels are delayed from berthing as originally planned. 

NEWS ARTICLES

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL FOR U.S TRUCKING? 

Shipments by truck, in the fourth quarter, suffered their largest drop since the height of the pandemic, according to the US Bank Freight Payment Index. 

General freight demand turned out to be “significantly worse than anticipated”. This demand slump drove a 41% drop in operating income, compared with the fourth quarter of 2021. 

“A pullback in consumer spending is causing the truck freight market to soften,” said ATA SVP and chief economist Bob Costello. “At the same time, monetary policy changes are reducing demand for large-ticket items in interest rate-sensitive areas like autos and homes.” [1]

PAKISTAN INFLATION AT 48-YEAR-HIGH AS SUPPLIES PAM IN PORTS

Pakistan’s inflation quickened to the fastest in almost 48 years in January as thousands of containers of food items, raw materials and equipment are stuck in ports after the cash-strapped government curtailed imports. 

Consumer prices rose 27.55% from a year earlier, according to data released by the statistics department on Wednesday. Inflation is at the highest since May 1975, according to central bank data. 

About 6,000 containers are stranded in ports, including thousands of tons of poultry feed ingredients that pushed chicken prices to a record earlier this year. The logjam is aggravating inflation that has lingered above 20% since June as the government limited imports amid scare funds. [2] 

OVERCAPACITY COULD SPARK NEW RATES WAR AMONG LINERS

“Evergreen chairman Chang Yen-i has warned that, with the large number of newbuild mega-box ship deliveries beginning this year, liner operators could see a return of pre-pandemic rates wars, if consumption fails to keep up with the capacity growth.

Mr Chang told Taiwan’s de facto shipowners’ association: “After two years of amazing profits, the liner industry now faces three challenges. The first is the slowdown of international trade and the global economy; the second is the fall in container freight rates; and the third, the big number of new ships being built.” 

 “If the Russia-Ukraine war ends, it is expected to bring relief to inflation and the energy crisis and [will] stimulate the market to return to normal consumption, which is the most important for the shipping industry.” [3] 

REFERENCES & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

SACO/CFR Source Information:

• Hapag Lloyd

• Maersk

• MSC

• ONE Line

• Transnet

• The LoadStar Publications

• gCaptain.com

• Shipco Transport

• Splash247.com

• Freightnews by FTW

[1] https://theloadstar.com/light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-just-a-glimmer-down-the-road-for-us-trucking/

[2] https://gcaptain.com/pakistan-inflation-at-48-year-high-as-supplies-jam-in-ports/

[3] https://theloadstar.com/evergreen-chief-warns-overcapacity-could-spark-new-rates-war-among-liners/

And that’s the it – As always, the Inter-Sped team are ready to jump for you.