Ports across multiple regions reported operational strains during the week ending 8 January 2026 due to congestion, adverse weather and equipment issues. Kuehne+Nagel's weekly update noted extended vessel waiting times in Africa and Asia while Flexport reported weather-related delays before Chinese New Year.
West Africa: Conakry Congestion at Severe Level
Conakry Port in Guinea experienced severe congestion, with its average vessel waiting time reaching 13.07 days over seven days - some carriers reportedly experiencing waits of up to 30 days, negatively affecting supply chains.
Average waits stood at 2.33 days in Abidjan, Ivory Coast despite the successful installation of a new crane. Delays were expected due to vessel line-up delays.
Indian Ocean and South Africa Challenges
Port Louis in Mauritius experienced average vessel waiting times of 7.5 days due to adverse weather and operational challenges, forcing transhipments to use alternate hubs, increasing transit times and leaving cargo often stranded until its next direct sailing.
Wait times averaged 1.88 days at Durban Pier 1, owing to ongoing challenges at Pier 1. In Port Elizabeth and Banjul (The Gambia), operations ran smoothly despite high wind gusts during citrus season driving increased reefer demand. Waits averaged five days.
Asia-Pacific: Chinese Ports Under Pressure
Chinas Nansha port averaged 1.71-day waits, with terminals like GOCT and NICT becoming severely congested by over 20 vessels anchored. On the other hand, Ningbo had 1.52-day average wait times with MSICT and CMICT terminals experiencing waits lasting three or more days due to yard densities of 90% or greater.
Qingdao reached stability at 1.45 days while QQCT berth congestion persisted at 1-1.5 days. Shanghai averaged 2.02 days with 1.5-2 day waits at WGQ terminals and three or four-day delays for YS1. Flexport confirmed growing pressure in Shanghai and Ningbo due to fog, vessel bunching, and increased export volumes preceding Chinese New Year.
Tanjung Pelepas averaged one day with dynamic berthing from new quay cranes being put into operation on 6 January and RTG delivery taking place until 11 January; Manilas North and South Terminals experienced 1.73 day averages with heavy congestion; reefer imports resumed at MICT but plugs remained tight.
Europe: Winter Weather Severely Affects Operations
Antwerp, Belgium averaged 2.05 days of yard occupancy amid winter weather that reduced operations and potentially led to terminal suspensions, while Le Havre, France maintained 40% yard occupancy but temporarily shut its gates from 5 January noon until 6 January 16:30 due to snow, impacting both exports and imports.
Le Havre was restricted to discharges only during severe conditions on January 8-9 due to subzero temperatures and the storm forecast for 8-9 January; truck slots were reduced from 170 per hour to 30 per hour due to these severe conditions. Sub-zero temperatures and backlogs are likely to grow. Flexport reported 5-7 day berthing delays in Hamburg and Rotterdam caused by weather-induced high yard density delays.
Oceania and Other Regions
Fremantle, Australia reported an average wait time of 2.33 days per visit. C.H. Robinson noted healthy U.S. port operations; however global gateways experienced congestion issues. Maersk noted schedule reliability on MECL services to North America with temporary terminal shift in Houston; while Southern European ports encountered less difficulties as equipment balance in North Europe but tight inland connections caused imbalanced equipment balances in these ports.
Freight rates remained volatile, with carriers announcing GRIs for mid-January as pre-holiday rushes intensified. Such events demonstrate how vulnerable global port networks remain against weather- and volume surges.