Clarkson Research, said that when talking about the recent Clarkson Port Congestion Index, he said that due to the current impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the repeated epidemics in multiple ports in China, the overall port congestion level is higher than last year's level, specifically Container fleet congestion levels are also trending towards previous highs.
Cargo ships longer than 120 meters stay in the waters near Ningbo Zhoushan Port
The overall congestion situation in global ports has further worsened
Clarkson said that disruptions to global logistics and supply chains are still common, due to the conflict in Ukraine and as the world The epidemic has repeatedly affected many cities in China, the country with the largest shipping market, further exacerbating delays in the global shipping system.
Clarkson said that port congestion remains the main reason for rising freight rates and strong market conditions in many shipping segments. On March 18, the agency’s ClarkSea index reached $41,377/day, which is only 12 years higher than in October 2021. The high was 3% lower.
([Note] Clarkson Shipping Index: Clarkson Research has been compiling and publishing the shipping index - ClarkSea Index (ClarkSea Index) since 1990, which counts the four mainstream shipping types bulk carriers , oil tankers, container ships and gas carriers, weighted by the number of ships of each segment in the global fleet. The Clarkson Shipping Index, with a time series history of more than 30 years, has recorded every major cycle in the history of shipping and witnessed every major cycle. Fluctuating changes in the shipping market under the alternation of peaks and troughs)
Container ship - port congestion intensifies
In terms of container shipping, Clarkson said that the congestion trend at container ports is still severe! Because the Clarkson Container Port Congestion Index (indicates that global ports or related An index of daily fleet capacity levels at anchorages) rose to 35.2% (7-day moving average) on March 16 from 33.7% (7-day moving average ) a month ago. This is mainly because global container ports are affected by the "chain reaction" of the Russia-Ukraine conflict (such as delays due to customs inspections) and the new "blockade" under the repeated epidemic in China. This compares to the pre-pandemic average of 31.3%, but is still below the October 2021 peak of 37.5%.
Clarkson pointed out that key "hot spots" for container network congestion this year include the United States, China and Northern Europe. On the U.S. East Coast, port capacity on March 16 (7-day moving average) totaled 900,000 TEU, an increase of 24% from the beginning of the year. In China, where the COVID-19 outbreak has led to new local "lockdowns", port capacity totaled 2.2 million TEU on March 16 (7-day moving average), an increase of 18% since the beginning of the month. In the UK and continental Europe, port capacity on March 16 (7-day moving average) totaled 1.2 million TEU, an increase of 18% since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.
CCTV news, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine stated on March 21, local time, that due to the special military operations carried out by the Russian armed forces, Ukraine has stopped navigation at ports in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov . The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine stated that ports such as Nikolaev , Olivia, Yuzhny, Odessa , Chernomorsk can only handle and transfer shipboard materials and cargo through railways and roads for the time being. personnel.
CITIC Construction Investment also introduced in a recent analysis that as of March 20, the total capacity of ships waiting at major ports around the world has risen to a record high, and the increasing congestion at China's ports is one of the main reasons. Affected by the epidemic, restrictions on the movement of trucks in Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other places have affected the efficiency of container pickup and delivery. The superimposed thick fog has caused the closure of some terminals in Shanghai, Ningbo and other places. The waiting time for ships in Qingdao has increased by 2-5 days, and the Bohai Sea region has experienced its worst congestion since 2020. The congestion problem in European ports is still serious, and there are also more congestions in Mediterranean ports.The share of North American ports in global port congestion has dropped from 50% a month ago to 38%. The number of ships waiting at berths at West US terminals has dropped from more than 90 in January to 33 now, and cargo transportation has shifted to other major North American ports. Congestion continues in Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Oakland, New York, Norfolk, Charleston and Houston.
The container ship congestion index of several major ports in China has increased significantly
Bloomberg recently reported that according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg , the number of ships parked near Shandong Qingdao Port last Monday was approximately 72, almost 72. That's twice as high as at the end of February.
In addition, according to the latest data of major domestic ports provided by shipping information network -0 million sea blue for Xinde Maritime Network.
Take Qingdao Port as an example. On March 21, the latest port congestion index of Qingdao Port was 12.87. The number of ships in anchorage was 20, totaling 91666 by TEU. The average port congestion index was 0.64, waiting at anchor. The median time is 42.33 hours, and the number of berthed ships is 20, totaling 116,463 in TEU. The day before the reporting date, that is, 2022-03-20, the average achieved port congestion index was 0.59, which belongs to the mild congestion range. The number of berthing ships was 24, and the average waiting time was 59.64 hours. There were 13 new ships entering the port that day, with a direct call rate of 0.31.
As shown in the chart: the number of ships in port and the port congestion index have increased significantly in the recent past (green curve).
In addition, according to data provided by Shipxun.com Yihailan for Xinde Maritime Network, the number of anchorage ships and the port congestion index of Guangzhou Port and Ningbo Zhoushan Port have also increased significantly recently.
bulk carriers - global congestion is also intensifying.
bulk carriers, the current waiting situation of this type of ships in port is also further deteriorating. Clarkson's bulk carrier waiting index data shows that on February 21 (7th mobile average) reached a new record of 36.3%, with an average of 35.0% in the first quarter of this year, higher than 32.8% in 2021, and the pre-epidemic average of 29.7% in 2016-2019.
Especially in early 2022, Indonesia implemented a coal export ban (now lifted) in early January in order to support domestic coal supply, resulting in a significant increase in congestion at the country's bulk carrier ports. As of January 14, Indonesia's main coal loading port had 197 bulk carriers (14.4 million dwt, mainly Panamax and general cargo ships), compared with 122 ships (8.4 million dwt) at the beginning of the year.
Car carriers also encountered the worst congestion in history
Clarkson said that port congestion data related to car carriers also hit a record high. On March 16, the capacity level of car carriers staying in and near the port was 28.1% (7-day moving average), while the 2021 average is 25.0% and the pre-pandemic average (2016-19) is 22.7%.
Clarkson said, “Originally we expected that the previous port congestion would take some time to ease, but the latest conflict in Ukraine and the epidemic in China will further lengthen the recovery time. We also expect that the direct and indirect consequences caused by the conflict in Ukraine will Impacts (such as vessel relocation, changes in trade routes, sanctions, changes in chartering policies, etc.) will further cause "inefficiency" in the entire maritime system.
