Global port congestion hits record 4.3m TEU waiting to berth, BUSA data show

Summary

More than 4.3 million TEU were waiting to berth globally in the week to 23 August, a new high driven mainly by weather disruption across East Asia and building pressure at the Panama Canal. First-half port rankings shifted sharply, with Jebel Ali falling from 10th to 32nd worldwide. At Durban Gateway Terminal, stack occupancy improved from 89.2% to 73.8% after the NAVIS N4 cutover, though nine vessels remained at anchorage and reefer occupancy stayed at 110%.