70,000 boxes are stranded! A port in South Africa may be congested until next year!

The port of Durban, which handles about 60 percent of South Africa's container volume/traffic, has seen delays and congestion worsen at Durban, the largest port on South Africa's east coast, since October and may not be eased until February 2024.

The South African Association of Freight Forwarders estimates there are nearly 71,000 containers stranded at the port of Durban or on ships waiting offshore. Many of the containers contain items that retailers hope to sell over the festive period, but time is running out. Some retailers are now taking air freight to stock up before Christmas.

Last month, Durban Port experienced "unusually windy and rainy" weather, resulting in the loss of 159 hours of operating time, with over 20 ships waiting to enter the port, with an average delay of 18 days.

Due to the situation at the port of Durban, Maersk in early November imposed a congestion charge of $200 to $400 per container for containers bound for South Africa from destinations outside East and West Africa. MSC Mediterranean Shipping followed suit with a similar congestion charge.

CMA CGM also announced that it will impose a port congestion surcharge of US $200 per TEU on routes to Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town from December. Maersk and other carriers have also cancelled port calls and announced changes in rotation frequency. 

7万箱滞留！南非一港口或将拥堵到明年！

       德班港处理着南非约60%的集装箱量/运输量。10月起，南非东海岸最大港口德班港的延误和拥堵情况恶化，可能要到2024年2月份才能得到缓解。

       南非货运代理协会估计，有近71,000个集装箱滞留在德班港或在离岸等待的船上。许多集装箱都装有零售商希望在节日期间出售的商品，但时间已经不多了。一些零售商现在采取空运的方式在圣诞节前进货。

       上个月，德班港经历了“异常大风和多雨”的天气，致使运营时间损失了159小时，超20船船只等待进港，平均延误时间长达18天。

       鉴于德班港的情况，马士基于11月初对从东非和西非以外的目的地运往南非的集装箱征收每集装箱200至400美元的拥堵费。MSC地中海航运公司紧随其后，征收了类似的拥堵费。

       CMA CGM近期也宣布，将从12月开始对前往伊丽莎白港、德班和开普敦的航线征收每TEU 200美元的港口拥堵附加费。马士基和其他承运商也取消了港口停靠，并宣布改变轮换班次。