INTELLIGENCE FILE · INFRASTRUCTURE
Ports & Congestion
Port operations, congestion, terminals, capacity, strikes, infrastructure and canal/port disruptions.
11updates · 7d
26updates · 30d
2analysis pieces
12key entities
LATEST VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
IAPH and IHMA launch Port Call Optimization Guide at IMO
The new guide promotes harmonized electronic exchange of nautical and operational data to support safer, more predictable and sustainable port calls. Its data sets have been tested in port-to-port trials.
EXECUTIVE SNAPSHOT
Key developments
31 Aug 2026Port congestion temporarily shields container shipping from capacity shockShipping Markets →28 Aug 2026Drewry Warns Cost Optimisation Is Deepening Container Port CongestionPorts & Logistics →24 Aug 2026Venezuela’s Ageing Oil Terminals Leave Tankers Waiting Up to 30 DaysPorts & Logistics →22 Aug 2026Panama Canal Congestion Mounts as Draught Restrictions ApproachPorts & Logistics →20 Aug 2026Strong Container Demand and Port Congestion Lift Maersk’s 2026 OutlookShipping Markets →
STORY TIMELINE
How the story evolved
IMPACT · relevance 29IAPH and IHMA launch Port Call Optimization Guide at IMOThe new guide promotes harmonized electronic exchange of nautical and operational data to support safer, more predictable and sustainable port calls. Its data sets have been tested in port-to-port trials.
ANALYSIS · KEY · relevance 47Port congestion temporarily shields container shipping from capacity shockPort delays are keeping 2.3m teu of containership capacity out of service, cushioning the market as newbuildings and a gradual return to Suez threaten to release substantial vessel supply.
IMPACT · relevance 25Panama Canal Eases Neopanamax Booking Rules as Water Constraints Tighten CapacityThe Panama Canal Authority will temporarily allow customers to hold multiple Neopanamax reservations for the same booking date and secure slots on consecutive dates, offering greater flexibility as reduced rainfall and strong vessel demand put pressure on transit capacity.
CORE · relevance 42Congestion Deepens at Shanghai, Ningbo and Singapore Container HubsSchedule reliability weakened across Asia’s 14 busiest container ports in July as typhoons added pressure to stretched terminal operations. Shanghai’s reliability fell to 21%, while global delays absorbed an estimated 6.6% of containership capacity.
CORE · relevance 45Panama Canal Congestion Pushes LPG Tankers to Alternative RoutesDelays and cargo restrictions at the Panama Canal are prompting LPG tanker operators to consider ship-to-ship transfers and longer voyages around South America as they seek to maintain flows between the US Gulf Coast and Asia.
IMPACT · relevance 30La Spezia Container Terminal orders €90m crane package for Ravano expansionLa Spezia Container Terminal has signed €90m in equipment contracts for four ship-to-shore cranes and 18 yard cranes as part of a wider €350m modernisation programme centred on the new Ravano terminal.
IMPACT · relevance 27Gulf States Accelerate Port and Pipeline Investment Amid Hormuz DisruptionGulf governments are directing capital towards ports, pipelines and alternative transport corridors as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz exposes the region’s dependence on the strategic waterway.
IMPACT · relevance 26Russian Strikes Target Ukrainian Ports and Logistics InfrastructureUkrainian officials said a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack targeted ports, grain storage, distribution centres, energy facilities and industrial sites across the country, including three ports in the Odesa region.
CORE · KEY · relevance 56Drewry Warns Cost Optimisation Is Deepening Container Port CongestionContainer shipping’s focus on cost efficiency has reduced the spare terminal capacity needed to absorb disruption, Drewry says. Global vessel waiting times have nearly doubled since 2019, while more than 4.3m teu of containership capacity is currently waiting to berth worldwide.
IMPACT · relevance 22IMO expands Port State Control data exchange with Black Sea and Caribbean agreementsIMO has signed updated data-exchange agreements with the Black Sea and Caribbean Port State Control regimes, advancing plans for a global database designed to improve inspection-data sharing, transparency and risk-based planning.
IMPACT · relevance 29Vancouver port upgrades halve inbound truck transit timesRoad and rail improvements at the Fraser Surrey Port Lands have reduced average inbound container truck transit times from more than 30 minutes to around 14 minutes, according to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
ANALYSIS · relevance 22Vessel-tracking data challenges US estimate of Middle East oil exportsUS Energy Secretary Chris Wright says oil flows from the Middle East have recovered to about 15 million barrels per day, including almost 9 million bpd through the Strait of Hormuz. However, figures from Kpler and LSEG Oil Research indicate substantially lower export volumes.
CORE · KEY · relevance 48Venezuela’s Ageing Oil Terminals Leave Tankers Waiting Up to 30 DaysInfrastructure failures, power outages and crude quality problems at Venezuela’s oil terminals are delaying tanker loadings and limiting exports despite higher production. Congestion is particularly acute near the Jose port, which handles about 70% of the country’s oil exports.
CORE · relevance 43Venezuelan Port Constraints Leave Oil Tankers Waiting Up to 30 DaysAging terminals, power outages and crude-quality problems are restricting Venezuela’s oil exports despite rising production and strong demand. Tankers face waits of up to 30 days, while limited berth and storage capacity is increasing demurrage, contamination risks and competition for infrastructure.
IMPACT · relevance 23Panama Canal to Reduce Daily Transit Slots as El Niño Threatens Water LevelsThe Panama Canal Authority will reduce daily transits to 34 vessels from September 4 and 32 from September 15, citing below-average rainfall and the expected severity of the 2026-2027 El Niño event.
IMPACT · relevance 23Armed Group Reportedly Hijacks Tanker in Gulf of AdenSix armed individuals reportedly boarded an Eritrea-flagged oil products tanker east of Al Mukalla after it issued a distress call. The vessel is believed to be heading towards Somalia, while the crew’s status remains unknown.
IMPACT · relevance 22Ukraine Reports 52 Civilian Ships Attacked in Black Sea Over Six WeeksUkraine’s infrastructure ministry says 52 civilian vessels were attacked in the Black Sea during July and the first half of August 2026. Kyiv has appealed to the IMO, warning of risks to seafarers, freedom of navigation, maritime exports and global food supplies.
IMPACT · relevance 25Panama Canal to Reduce Daily Transit Slots as Rainfall DisappointsThe Panama Canal will reduce Neopanamax and Panamax transit capacity in September as weaker-than-expected rainfall pressures freshwater supplies. The authority is also restructuring auction allocations and has postponed planned Neopanamax draft reductions.
CORE · KEY · relevance 52Panama Canal Congestion Mounts as Draught Restrictions ApproachAround 112 vessels were reportedly waiting to enter the Panama Canal as increased energy shipping and approaching low-water restrictions intensified concerns over delays, schedule reliability and equipment availability.
IMPACT · relevance 30Panama Canal to Cut Daily Transit Capacity to 32 VesselsThe Panama Canal will reduce daily booking capacity to 32 vessels from September 15 as weak rainfall and watershed inflows intensify water-management pressures. The restrictions are expected to tighten effective vessel supply and could support freight rates on affected trades.
IMPACT · relevance 26PV GAS Explores Five-Year LNG Supply Tender for Thi Vai TerminalVietnam’s state-controlled Petrovietnam Gas is assessing supplier interest in a potential five-year LNG contract covering 250,000 to 450,000 metric tons, with deliveries to the Thi Vai Terminal beginning in January 2027 or later.
IMPACT · relevance 27Ukraine Proposes Black Sea Truce as Port Attacks Disrupt Grain ExportsUkraine has offered Russia a mutual halt to attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea through a third party, according to a source familiar with the matter. The reported initiative follows mounting strikes on vessels and ports that have disrupted grain shipments and raised concerns over global food supplies.
CORE · KEY · relevance 55Strong Container Demand and Port Congestion Lift Maersk’s 2026 OutlookMaersk raised its full-year earnings guidance for the second time in 2026 after resilient container demand, higher freight rates and port congestion helped second-quarter EBITDA reach $3.0 billion.
IMPACT · relevance 23Strong Container Demand and Freight Rates Prompt Maersk to Raise 2026 OutlookMaersk has increased its full-year earnings guidance for the second time in 2026 after resilient container demand, strong Chinese exports and port congestion lifted freight rates and second-quarter profitability.
IMPACT · relevance 26Record Low River Levels Disrupt European Cargo TransportRecord low water levels across major European rivers are restricting goods transport, reducing electricity generation and weighing on corporate earnings, raising concerns over the wider economic effects of extreme heat and irregular rainfall.
IMPACT · relevance 22Turkey Bars Israeli Vessels From Ports and Restricts Turkish Ship Calls in IsraelTurkey has closed its ports to Israeli vessels and is preventing Turkish-flagged ships from calling at Israeli ports, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told parliament. The measures form part of Ankara’s actions against Israel over the war in Gaza.