Congestion, Vessel Delays Hit US Container Ports

 

Container terminals at several major US gateways are facing vessel delays, with waiting times reaching up to 18 hours in Charleston and 12 hours in Los Angeles, according to Hapag-Lloyd’s latest North America operational update.

The German carrier’s Week 36 data shows uneven congestion across key US ports, with delays concentrated at specific terminals while several other major gateways continue to operate with little or no vessel waiting time.

Charleston is among the most affected ports. At Wando Welch Terminal, vessels face waits of up to six hours for Gemini services and as long as 18 hours for non-Gemini vessels. North Charleston Terminal, however, is currently reporting no vessel waiting time.

Truck operations remain relatively fluid, with Hapag-Lloyd reporting average turn times of around 24 minutes at Wando Welch and 23 minutes at North Charleston.

On the US West Coast, APM Terminals Pier 400 in Los Angeles is recording vessel waiting times of up to 12 hours across several services.

Other Los Angeles terminals are performing better. Yusen Terminals and Fenix Marine Services are both reporting no vessel waiting time in Hapag-Lloyd’s service-level data.

Despite delays at Pier 400, terminal gates across the Los Angeles-Long Beach complex are operating according to published schedules.