Singapore At The Forefront Of Asia Port Congestion

The port of Singapore has been under severe pressure from congestion during recent weeks, which has spread to neighbouring ports in Malaysia, leading to at least two scheduled voyages being cancelled altogether this month.

Ships have recently been waiting up to a week to berth in Singapore, which usually happens within half a day, due to backlogs caused by the new schedules introduced since the Red Sea crisis began.

According to recent reports, 90% of vessels have arrived late at the port this year, which has led to vessel bunching that has overwhelmed operations. Singapore is the world’s second busiest port and handles more transhipments than any other.

Improvements to Singapore’s congestion may be incoming as a new terminal was opened this week, the first of three due to open this year at the country’s new mega port.

However, nearby ports in Malaysia are now being impacted by their own congestion issues. Port Klang is understood to have up to twenty vessels anchored and waiting outside the port at any one time, and Tanjung Pelepas is also experiencing severe congestion.

Waiting times have also continued to impact many Chinese ports, with Shanghai and Qingdao experiencing the longest delays of up to 5 days waiting to berth.

The team at Westbound are monitoring developments closely, as we continue to work tirelessly to manage and mitigate the currently challenging market conditions.