Stay on top of port closures, security incidents, congestion events and freight rate movements impacting global shipping. Updated continuously from verified industry sources.
The Durban port terminals (RoRo, Tanker/Island View, Cruise, Coal, and New Pier) published their daily berthing and schedule update for 2 July 2026, listing multiple vessels in port and expected arrivals across all terminals. No major disruptions are reported, but several tankers are waiting at anchorage, potentially indicating some congestion at the Island View Tanker Terminal.
The Port of Maputo ship movement report dated 25 June 2026 lists vessels currently in port, at anchorage, and expected arrivals through mid-July 2026, with no ships expected to berth on the report date. A notable anchorage queue of 11 vessels suggests potential congestion or waiting times at the port.
The Durban Multi-Purpose Terminals (Maydon Wharf MPT and Point MPT) publish their daily ship movement updates as of 1 July 2026, listing vessels currently in port, upcoming arrivals, and a confirmed lineup extending through early August 2026. The schedules indicate active and ongoing port operations with multiple berths occupied and a dense vessel lineup, reflecting normal but busy traffic conditions at Durban's multipurpose terminals.
As of July 1, 2026, Port Elizabeth reports 11 vessels at anchorage, including CMA CGM, MSC, and Maersk vessels, suggesting potential congestion or waiting times at the port. Multiple ships are present across various terminals including the Manganese Terminal and general berths.
US retailers are frontloading orders from China by 4–6 weeks ahead of anticipated tariff hikes, driving a spike in container shipping rates and tightening capacity on China–US trade routes. Spot rates from Shanghai to New York and Los Angeles have surged significantly, with volumes expected to peak before fading later in Q3 2026.
A fleet of over 80 vessels, including 40+ tall ships and 32 warships, will gather in New York Harbor for the Sail4th 250 celebration from July 3–8, 2026, marking America's 250th anniversary. The event will involve a major Parade of Sail through New York Harbor and up the Hudson River, likely causing significant slowdowns and restricted navigation in the harbor, East River, and Hudson River during that period.
The Port of Ngqura (Coega) daily ship movement report dated 29 June 2026 lists multiple vessels at the outer anchorage, including MSC Altair, MSC Sky II, MSC Margarita, MSC Malin II, Berge Nishikawa, Pacific Purity, and Sarika Naree, suggesting potential congestion or waiting times at berth. The container terminal's stack dates, berthing list, and import storage list are updated daily by Transnet.
The Durban Container Terminals (Pier 1 and Durban Gateway Terminal/Pier 2) have published their latest ship movement schedule as of 29 June 2026, showing vessels currently berthed, at outer anchorage, and expected arrivals through mid-July 2026. Multiple container ships including MSC Cassandre and San Francisco are currently at outer anchorage, indicating potential congestion or queuing at the port.
The Durban port complex (RoRo, Tanker, Cruise, Coal, and New Pier terminals) published its daily berthing update as of 29 June 2026, with several vessels at outer anchorage potentially indicating moderate congestion. No major disruptions are reported, but the tanker arrival schedule remains busy through mid-July 2026.
The Durban Multi-Purpose Terminals (Maydon Wharf MPT and Point MPT) are actively operational as of 30 June 2026, with multiple vessels in port, at anchorage, and a confirmed lineup of ship movements scheduled through early August 2026. Normal port activity is ongoing with a dense vessel schedule indicating high traffic levels at Durban's multipurpose terminals.
Bunker fuel availability is very tight in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) bunkering hub, with lead times of around 7 days recommended for HSFO and VLSFO deliveries and 6 days for LSMGO, as fuel oil and gasoil stocks remain under pressure. Vessel operators calling at ARA ports should anticipate potential bunkering delays and plan fuel procurement well in advance.
Global container shipping is experiencing significant tightening in 2026, with nearly 11% of the world's containership fleet waiting outside ports — the highest congestion level since 2022 — driven by the ongoing Red Sea crisis, Strait of Hormuz tensions, and surging teu-mile demand outpacing fleet supply. These disruptions are sustaining elevated freight rates and network instability, with Gulf crisis-related disruptions expected to persist at least into September 2026.
An early container peak season is driving a 23% weekly surge in Drewry's World Container Index, with Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade lanes experiencing skyrocketing freight rates. This points to significant capacity pressure and potential congestion or scheduling disruptions on major container shipping routes and associated gateway ports.
Chinese iron ore port inventories are near record highs at 160mt, signaling a deceleration in import demand that is expected to reduce seaborne volumes to Chinese ports in the near term. Simultaneously, the structural shift in trade routes from Australia to Guinea (Simandou ramp-up) is generating significant tonne-mile uplift for the capesize market, supporting freight rates even as overall volumes may ease.
U.S. CBP agents conducted coordinated raids ("Operation Tidal Wave") on at least eight cruise ships between April 23–27, 2026, including Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, and MV Zandaam in San Diego and potentially Norfolk, detaining and deporting over 200 foreign crew members. These enforcement operations may cause operational disruptions at affected ports due to boarding delays, crew shortages from mass detentions/terminations, and potential for further raids on cruise vessels calling at U.S. ports.
The Port of Richards Bay and its Coal Terminal are showing active ship movements with multiple vessels in port and a significant number of ships at anchorage awaiting berth, suggesting potential congestion. Berth availability data for the Coal Terminal is listed as "not available," indicating possible scheduling uncertainty or operational constraints.
As of 4 June 2026, Durban Container Terminals (Pier 1 and Pier 2) are reporting active ship movements with 7 vessels at berth (PMT) and 5 container ships at outer anchorage awaiting entry to DCT1, DCT2, Maydon Wharf MPT, or Point MPT. The presence of multiple vessels at anchorage suggests moderate congestion or queuing at the Durban container terminals.
Transnet has commenced testing and commissioning of Tippler 3 at the Saldanha Bay Iron Ore Terminal as part of a R4 billion infrastructure modernisation project, aimed at improving throughput, resilience, and vessel loading schedules. This positive development signals improved operational capacity at one of South Africa's most strategic bulk export terminals, reducing the risk of rail-to-vessel bottlenecks and supporting more reliable shipping schedules.
The article provides a detailed berthing and arrival schedule update for Durban's RoRo, Tanker, Cruise, Coal, and New Pier terminals as of early June 2026, indicating active and upcoming vessel traffic across multiple terminals. Multiple vessels are at anchorage awaiting berth, suggesting moderate congestion at Durban port's tanker and RoRo facilities.
The dredging project at Rock Hall Harbor has been delayed, which may temporarily affect vessel access and navigation depths at the harbor. Shallow water conditions resulting from the postponed dredging could cause restrictions or slowdowns for vessels using the port.
The Durban Multi-Purpose Terminals (Maydon Wharf and Point MPT) are actively operational with numerous vessels in port, at berth, and awaiting entry at the outer anchorage as of 3 June 2026. A significant number of ships (approximately 20) are queuing at the Durban Outer Anchorage, indicating potential congestion and berthing delays at the terminal.
The Durban Multi-Purpose Terminals (Maydon Wharf and Point MPT) are showing active vessel traffic with multiple ships in port and a significant number at the outer anchorage, suggesting potential congestion at the port of Durban. As of 3 June 2026, approximately 20 vessels are waiting at the outer anchorage, indicating possible delays in berthing operations.
Disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing Middle East conflict are reshaping global crude supply routes, prompting India to rapidly increase Venezuelan crude imports — with 9.5 million barrels scheduled for discharge at Indian ports in June 2026. This shift is driving a surge in VLCC traffic toward Indian ports, particularly Sikka, with potential congestion implications as heavy-crude processing capacity remains limited.