Congestion at ports around the world continued to intensify

Congestion at ports around the world continued to intensify, with bulk carriers and car ships hitting new highs
Congestion at container ports remains severe, with the port congestion index rising to 35.2% on March 16 from 33.7% (7-day moving average, 7DMA) a month ago, mainly due to geopolitical conflicts and the blockade of some Chinese ports. This compares to a pre-pandemic average of 31.3% in 2016-2019, but the peak was 37.5% in October 2021.
On March 16, the total capacity of ships in port on the East Coast of the United States was 900,000 TEU (7DMA), up 24% from the beginning of the year. Total vessel capacity at Chinese ports reached 22 million TEU (7DMA), up 18 percent since last month; Total in-port capacity at European ports was 1.2m TEU (7DMA), up 18% in a month.
The Global Bulk Carrier Port Congestion Index (covering Capesize and Panamax vessels) is also on the rise this year, reaching a new high of 36.3% (7DMA) on February 21, with a year-to-date average of 35% compared to 29.7% for 2016-2019.
Indonesia’s main coal loading port had 197 bulk carriers (7DMA) at 14.4 million DWT as of January 14, mainly Panamax and Agile vessels, up from 122 (7DMA) at 8.4 million DWT at the start of the year.