1,862 Container Ships Congested in Ports Worldwide

According to data from maritime data consultancy Windward, 20% of all container ships in global trade are currently in congestion due to a sharp increase in the number of container ships waiting outside ports due to congestion in recent months. That means one-fifth of the world's container ships are stuck in port congestion, and its data shows that a quarter of the ships are stuck in Chinese ports.

Shipping companies have been adjusting the shipping schedule but the reliability of the shipping schedule is still low. Some liner companies have previously diverted container ships from Shanghai to other ports, but this has also increased delays in other ports such as Ningbo and Zhoushan due to increased traffic, or carriers are taking the approach of suspending sailings.

According to Windward, the increased lockdown of the epidemic has affected port congestion. Data released by Windward on April 19 showed that the number of container ships waiting outside Chinese ports was 195% higher than in February. That is, the number of ships waiting outside Chinese ports has nearly doubled since the lockdown was first imposed, climbing from 260 in February to 506 in April.

Windward data, congestion at Chinese ports in the past three months

The above picture shows the "48-hour snapshot" of container ships waiting outside Chinese ports in February, March, and April. February was unaffected by the epidemic, Shenzhen was affected by the epidemic in March, and Shanghai was affected by the epidemic in April. situation affected by the epidemic. In the April and March snapshots, 506 and 470 vessels were stranded outside Chinese ports, respectively, and in February, the number was just 260.

While it appears that with so many container ships stranded off the coast of China, congestion at other ports around the world may ease, the opposite appears to be the case, with schedules disrupted on many major routes. Data from the Marine Exchange of Southern California shows the number of container ships is up again. A record low volume was set on April 4, with 33 ships heading for Los Angeles and Long Beach; but the backlog of container ships in Southern California jumped to 51 on April 19.

Windward data shows that between April 12 and 13, there were 1,826 container ships waiting to be berthed outside global ports, accounting for about 20% of the total number of global container ships. Among them, 506 container ships are waiting outside Chinese ports, accounting for 28% of the total number of ships waiting in the world. By contrast, backlogs at Chinese ports accounted for 14.8 percent of the congested ships in global ports in February.


Windward platform data from April 12-13 shows global port congestion

According to Alphaliner, the global liner fleet currently has a total of 6,358 vessels in operation around the world.

Congestion at ports during the pandemic has led to a surge in freight rates over the past two years, while the outbreak continues to weigh on global supply chains. Some experts believe there could be a rebound once the blockade is lifted, threatening the progress some ports, such as Los Angeles and Long Beach, have made in reducing backlogs in recent months.

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said in an interview this week that the outbreak could lead to a brief relief for ships arriving at U.S. ports in the coming weeks, but there would be a "quick rebound."