UPDATE: U.S./Canada Ports – Number of Vessels at Anchor as of 10-04-22 

• Savannah: 31 Vessels at Anchor (+1)
• Houston: 30 Vessels at Anchor (-2)
• Vancouver: 29 Vessels at Anchor (-10)
• San Francisco/Oakland: 10 Vessels at Anchor (+1)
• New York/Newark: 8 Vessels at Anchor (0)
• Los Angeles/Long Beach: 8 Vessels at Anchor (0)
• Mobile: 8 Vessels at Anchor (+3)
• Charleston: 2 Vessels at Anchor (-1)

Note: This count does not include vessels moored and being unloaded at port docks. Colored numbers in parentheses represents the change from last week over.

Courtesy: MarineTraffic

Takeaways

• U.S. West Coast: Not only is the congestion down, it’s also been consistent with little change week over week. The USWC is most the stable of the three in respects to vessel congestion.
• U.S. Gulf Coast: Houston remains to be the epicenter of congestion for the Gulf. Mobile has garnered several vessels at anchor over the past couple of weeks.
• U.S. East Coast: Savannah remains at the forefront of vessel congestion along the USEC. Moreover, this week has it crowned as the leader in congestion for all of the United States.
  • New York/Newark remains at eight vessels backlogged—the same as last week—dropping 50 percent from just two weeks ago. We continue to suspect that carriers are weary of the port’s impending fees on dwelling containers.
• Canada: The Canadian West Coast ports are at near yard capacity. Vancouver has been subject to vessel berthing delays; however the port has seen improvements that hopefully will sustain.

IMPORT: Asia to North America (TPEB)

Recent Developments:

• China’s Golden Week is underway and will end October 7. Factories in China are closed at this time.
  • The holiday’s typical impacts to capacity and rates are not as significant when compared to last year.
• Contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) remain active. The existing labor contract between the two parties expired July 1.

Rates: Rates continue to fall. Notably from Chinese base ports to all U.S. coasts.

• Carriers have announced GRIs effective October 15 affecting all Canadian and U.S. destinations for freight from Asian and Indian sub-continent origins.

Space: Space is generally open.
Capacity: Amid lower demand from shippers, many carriers have reduced their capacities. Shippers continue to divert cargo to the USEC and USGC due to fears of disruptions at West Coast ports from ongoing labor talks.
Equipment: Some inland terminals are reaching max capacity with inventory. Intermodal systems remain stressed with congestion and truck and chassis deficits.
TIPS:

• Book at least two weeks prior to the ready date.
• For cargo ready now, take advantage of opening space and fallen rates on the spot market.
• Reconsider averting West Coast routings. The “hot spots” for ship congestion and vessel wait times has shifted to the East Coast.

IMPORT: Europe to North America (TAWB)

Recent Developments:

• Northern European hubs, such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg, remain congested.
• Labor-related tensions remain gripping the U.K’s ports as unions dispute over a new pay deal that matches inflation rates.
  • The second strike in the last two months of around 1,900 dockworkers at Britain’s largest container port, Felixstowe, has wrapped up today.
  • Some 560 dockworkers at the Port of Liverpool have returned to work following an 11-day strike with no new offers from either side.
  • For both the port strikes at Felixstowe and Liverpool, the dockworkers have warned the ports respectively that further walkouts could occur.
• USWC ports have seen port and yard congestion and improvements to vessel waiting times.
• On the USEC, both ports of New York/Newark and Savannah remain having a significant number of backlogged vessels at anchor off their respective shores.
  • The Port of Houston, on the U.S. Gulf Coast, is also grappling with vessel congestion.

Rates: Rates have seen some decreases. However, not at the same clip as other trade lanes. With carriers expected to introduce more capacity to the TAWB lane, many speculate this will trend rates downward.
Space: Space remains tight to the USEC. However, space has opened for direct routings to the USWC.
Capacity: Capacity for both North Europe and Mediterranean services remain gripped. Low water level of Germany’s Rhine River continues and both terminals experience a shift from barge to truck capacity for import and export delivery/pick-up.
Equipment: Equipment at European seaports is not as readily available as it has been for the past few months. Inland terminals in Europe are also still reporting equipment shortages. On the U.S. side, truck and chassis availability remain concerning.
TIPS:

• Book five or more weeks prior to ready date.
• Strongly consider premium services for no-roll options and improved reliability of cargo.
• Be flexible and entertain alternative routings. They could cut back on wait times and/or costs.

EXPORT: North America to Asia

Recent Developments:

• For the US, port congestion remains an issue for Savannah and Houston. 
• Diminished schedule integrity continues to challenge post earliest return dates.
• Vessel arrivals remain smooth for USWC POLs.

Rates: So far, no GRIs announced for October.
Capacity: Available capacity remains fluid for USWC POLs.
Equipment: Truck, container, and chassis availability remains dire and has significantly contributed to congestion of the intermodal system and IPI origins. Standard equipment at ports remains available unless carriers advise otherwise.
TIPS:

• Book four to five weeks prior to the time of departure to secure necessary equipment and vessel space.