Port Congestion Briefing — Week of Feb 23–Mar 1, 2026

60-second executive take

Africa remains the primary congestion hotspot: West/East Africa and parts of Southern Africa are showing multi-day waits driven by a mix of equipment constraints and weather disruption (notably Casablanca, Mombasa, and Cape Town), while Portcast also flags Conakry and Mozambique (Beira/Nacala) as high-delay outliers.
Asia is “operationally normal” at the headline level, but terminal conditions are split: several China terminals report very high yard density (e.g., Shekou at 97% yard occupancy) and localized berth pressure even as average waits look moderate; Portcast’s weekly view shows many Asian ports in Medium congestion.
Europe is mostly steady, with weather as the key swing factor: winter conditions are disrupting Gdansk, while North Range hubs (e.g., Hamburg/Rotterdam) are managing high yard utilization and modality delays rather than acute multi-day anchorage queues.

Risk tiers definition (how to read this)

Critical: Multi-day vessel waiting is persistent (or Portcast categorizes as High with elevated median wait), and there are clear operational disruptors (weather, equipment, yard saturation, labor actions) raising the likelihood of missed connections and rolled bookings.
High: Congestion is meaningful but more situational (terminal-specific yard pressure, bunching, or weather windows), with recoverability possible if conditions stabilize.
Stable: Operations appear broadly manageable this week; delays exist but are generally within a range that can be planned around with disciplined cutoff and buffer management.

Note on metrics: myKN references 7-day average vessel waiting time and qualitative operational notes. Portcast reports congestion using percentile methodology and publishes a weekly table with median (P50) waiting time, vessels waiting per day, and congestion category.

Global risk board (prioritized)

Location	Key signals	Tier	Likely impact	What LSPs should do now
Casablanca, Morocco	myKN 7-day avg wait ~8.44 days; Portcast median 5.43 with High congestion; yard/port conditions congested but operating	Critical	High probability of schedule slip, missed transshipment windows into Med/Europe, and cascading ETA variance	Push earlier documentation/cutoffs, add buffer for feeder connections, pre-advise customers on “week+” volatility
Mombasa, Kenya	myKN 7-day avg wait ~5.71 days; Portcast median 5.79 and High; equipment shortages + high transshipment volumes + vessel bunching	Critical	Inland leg disruption risk (rail/truck), storage exposure, demurrage/detention pressure	Prioritize appointment discipline, confirm equipment availability, plan inland handoff contingencies and customer buffers
Conakry, Guinea	Portcast median 12.09 and High	Critical	Extreme delay risk and highly uncertain delivery windows for West Africa flows	Escalate exception management, set customer expectations early, consider alternate routing only if commercially viable
Beira / Nacala, Mozambique	Portcast median 10.11 (Beira) / 9.13 (Nacala) and High	Critical	Severe berth/wait exposure; connection and inland handoff variability	Build additional slack into ETAs; verify downstream storage/clearance readiness to avoid compounding delays
Cape Town, South Africa	myKN 7-day avg wait ~4.5 days; Portcast median 3.6 and High; strong winds disrupting inbound/outbound, delays especially at CTCT	Critical	Weather-driven stop/start operations; berthing windows and trucking/rail cadence volatility	Watch wind windows daily; adjust dray plans dynamically; keep shippers aligned on rolling ETAs
Tema, Ghana	myKN 7-day avg wait ~4.33 days + crane outages + strict move limits; Portcast median 1.87 (Medium)	High	Service reliability risk for window/non-window vessels; potential yard/berth imbalance	Confirm vessel window status, align pickup/delivery plans to avoid peak congestion hours
Progreso, Mexico	myKN 7-day avg wait ~7 days	High	Regional schedule slip and inventory arrival variance	Pre-alert consignees; secure warehousing flexibility and adjust delivery promises
Gdansk, Poland	myKN 7-day avg wait ~2.67 days; severe winter weather impacting road/rail and equipment	High	Landside constraints, cancelled rail services, limited truck slots	Book trucking earlier, validate rail slots, communicate weather contingency timelines
Hamburg, Germany (CTH focus)	myKN 7-day avg wait ~1.62 days; CTH yard utilization ~90% with reduced import pickup	High	Risk of landside bottlenecks and yard-driven productivity limits	Encourage faster import pickup; validate gate/slot availability; plan second-modality lead time
Rotterdam, Netherlands (MVII focus)	myKN 7-day avg wait ~1.28 days; MVII mainliner delays avg ~28h; barge delays up to 21h	High	Barge/feeder connection risk despite modest anchorage waits	Add buffer on barge/feeder moves; confirm transshipment cutoffs and alternate modality options
Shekou, China	myKN 7-day avg wait ~1.69 days; yard occupancy ~97% with extended berth waits for large discharge volumes	High	Terminal-level pressure; potential roll risk for certain strings/cargo mixes	Tighten export gating plans, confirm terminal acceptance windows, prep for berth sequence changes
Busan, South Korea (BNCT)	myKN 7-day avg wait ~1.12 days; berth congestion driven by holiday suspension + vessel bunching; laden yard density ~82%	Stable	Manageable but sensitive to bunching; transshipment planning discipline needed	Track bunching, keep feeder connections conservative, maintain proactive customer ETAs
London Gateway / Southampton, UK	myKN waits ~1 day / 2 days; yards stable at London Gateway, busier at Southampton	Stable	Routine delays manageable with planning	Keep standard buffers and monitor vessel line-up changes
Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico	myKN 7-day avg wait ~2.5 days; Portcast shows Low category with long-tail flag	Stable	Generally workable; outliers possible	Manage by exception; watch for long-tail cases on specific sailings

Critical tier deep dives

1) Casablanca, Morocco (Critical)

What’s happening
Casablanca continues to show heavy congestion in myKN’s operational view with a ~8.44-day 7-day average vessel wait. Portcast’s weekly snapshot also places Casablanca in High congestion with a 5.43 median waiting time and a meaningful number of vessels waiting per day.

What this means
Treat Casablanca as a high-variance node where even “normal” sailing plans can become unreliable. The operational note that flows are continuing “smoothly” is helpful—but the wait profile implies sustained queueing and longer cycle times.

What to tell customers
“Casablanca is still running, but vessel berthing delays remain significant this week. Plan for wider delivery windows and potential schedule changes; we’ll provide rolling ETA updates as vessels enter/exit anchorage.”

Action checklist

Add buffer time to any transshipment via Morocco-bound services.
Reconfirm documentation readiness early to avoid compounding dwell.
Flag high-value or time-critical SKUs for priority exception management (earlier customer comms, alternative delivery plans).
Monitor gate/yard advisories daily (avoid assumptions that congestion equals closure).

2) Mombasa, Kenya (Critical)

What’s happening
myKN reports ~5.71 days of 7-day average waiting time at Mombasa, citing equipment shortages, high transshipment volumes, and vessel bunching from off-window arrivals. Portcast similarly categorizes Mombasa as High with a 5.79 median waiting time.

What this means
Expect irregular berth sequences and downstream impacts on inland legs. When productivity is reduced and bunching persists, the “average” can hide late spikes—meaning your delivery commitments are exposed unless you build slack.

What to tell customers
“East Africa gateway reliability is under pressure this week. We’re planning with additional buffer for berthing and inland handoff, and we’ll confirm appointments as soon as discharge and gate windows firm up.”

Action checklist

Confirm equipment availability and plan for slower turn times at terminal handoff.
Align inland trucking/rail with realistic discharge timing—avoid locking tight appointments too early.
Where possible, split milestones into “best-case” and “most-likely” windows for customer planning.
Review detention/demurrage exposure and prepare early pickup workflows when gates open.

3) Cape Town, South Africa (Critical)

What’s happening
Cape Town is being disrupted by strong winds that are impacting inbound and outbound operations. myKN indicates a ~4.5-day 7-day average vessel waiting time and notes significant delays, particularly at CTCT. Portcast also flags High congestion with a 3.6 median waiting time.

What this means
This is a classic weather-driven congestion pattern: stop/start operations create bunching, which then creates more bunching. Plan for variability rather than a steady queue.

What to tell customers
“Cape Town is experiencing wind-related interruptions. ETAs may swing as berthing windows open/close, so we’re managing this with frequent schedule refreshes and flexible last-mile planning.”

Action checklist

Operate with rolling ETA discipline (daily updates, not weekly assumptions).
Keep drayage plans flexible; avoid fixed-day delivery promises until discharge is confirmed.
Prioritize containers with downstream connections (rail/feeder) for early visibility and exception routing.

4) Conakry, Guinea (Critical)

What’s happening
Portcast’s snapshot shows Conakry in High congestion with a 12.09 median waiting time—one of the most elevated values in the weekly list.

What this means
Expect extreme delay risk and a high probability of missed delivery commitments unless customers accept wide windows. Conakry should be treated as a “slow node” for planning and inventory positioning.

What to tell customers
“Conakry is experiencing severe congestion this week with extended vessel waits. We recommend planning for significant variability and avoiding tight downstream commitments.”

Action checklist

Escalate early and set expectations on multi-week variability for downstream milestones where applicable.
Keep stakeholders aligned on realistic buffers for customs/warehouse planning.
Use exception-based tracking to identify shipments most at risk.

High tier snapshots (quick hits)

Tema, Ghana: myKN reports ~4.33 days average waiting time alongside crane outages, berth delays up to 36 hours for window vessels, and strict move limits. Portcast places Tema at Medium with a 1.87 median wait—suggesting conditions may vary by vessel/operational window.
Progreso, Mexico: myKN indicates ~7 days average waiting time—plan for schedule slippage on regional services.
Gdansk, Poland: myKN notes severe winter weather affecting landside/waterside operations; ~2.67 days average waiting with cancelled rail services and limited truck slots.
Hamburg, Germany (CTH): myKN highlights yard utilization near ~90% at CTH, with pressure linked to reduced import pickup—watch gate flows and downstream dwell.
Rotterdam, Netherlands (MVII): myKN reports mainliner delays averaging ~28 hours, barge delays up to 21 hours, and feeder delays up to 10 hours—manage second-modality connections carefully.
Shekou, China: myKN reports severe yard congestion with ~97% yard occupancy and extended berth waits for large discharge volumes.

Stable tier (monitor)

Busan, South Korea: myKN shows ~1.12 days average waiting; Week 08 congestion was influenced by a 24-hour holiday suspension and vessel bunching—watch for bunching recurrence.
Antwerp, Belgium: myKN shows ~1.53 days average waiting; high yard occupancy at specific terminals but efficient truck turn times and stable labor.
London Gateway, UK: myKN indicates ~1 day waiting time with stable yard stacks and healthy labor availability.
Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico: myKN shows ~2.5 days average waiting, while Portcast flags Low congestion with long-tail behavior—manage by exception rather than assuming uniform delay.

Disruption bulletin (only what’s in the sources)

Argentina (Feb 19): A 24-hour general strike impacted transport and port operations; terminal operations and customs activities were affected, with appointments rescheduled.
Lunar New Year (Feb 16–19 across much of Asia): Multiple countries suspended port operations during the holiday, with manpower shortages driving reduced productivity and longer port stays.
Weather:
Cape Town: strong winds disrupting port operations.
Gdansk: severe winter weather restricting operations and landside movement.
Shanghai: strong winds (Beaufort 8–9) forecast for Feb 23–24 (watch for knock-on berth sequencing).

Forward lookout (next 7–14 days — watchpoints, not predictions)

Middle East chokepoint risk (watch / verify in real time): The weekly congestion metrics may lag fast-moving security events by several days. Treat Gulf/Red Sea routings as exception-prone this week and monitor carrier advisories and terminal notices closely (especially for schedule changes, booking suspensions, and diversion plans)
Africa (West/East/Southern): Monitor whether equipment availability and yard conditions improve at Mombasa and Tema, and whether weather windows stabilize at Cape Town.
Mozambique & Guinea: With Portcast showing High median waits at Beira/Nacala and Conakry, keep these on an elevated watchlist for itinerary changes and missed feeder connections.
China terminal divergence: Watch yard density and berth sequence changes at high-occupancy terminals (e.g., Shekou, plus localized Shanghai terminal notes).
Europe weather + yard pressure: Track ongoing winter impacts around the Baltic and whether high yard utilization nodes (e.g., Hamburg CTH) translate into gate constraints.
Planned constraints: myKN notes Tanjung Pelepas Berth 4 will be unavailable for seven days during Weeks 10–11 for crane installation—plan for potential berthing plan adjustments as that window approaches.

Visibility note

“Many teams read congestion updates but still chase milestones manually. Tradlinx provides event-based container visibility (e.g., gate-in/out, vessel departure/arrival) and API integration so workflows and alerts can run directly inside your systems.”

Tradlinx also provides a Port Congestion API so LSPs can automate risk scoring, exception alerts, and customer ETAs directly from congestion data.