What causes port congestion?

Demand outrunning capacity. UNCTAD names geopolitical disruptions, shifting trade patterns and capacity constraints; the FMC found the 2020–2022 surge exposed existing problems and was worsened by empty containers.

How long do ships wait at congested ports?

UNCTAD measured waiting time from anchorage to berth at 6.4 hours on average in developed countries and 10.9 hours in developing countries in December 2024.

What is a port congestion surcharge?

A charge passed to shippers while a port or terminal is congested. Maersk charged €120 per container on carrier-haulage moves to and from Dunkerque's Terminal des Flandres from 19 February 2026.

Term

Port congestion

Port congestion is ships, containers or trucks arriving faster than a port can handle them, so vessels queue at anchor and cargo waits. UNCTAD measures it as waiting time from anchorage arrival to berthing: 6.4 hours on average in developed countries and 10.9 in developing ones in December 2024. Carriers pass the cost on through congestion surcharges.

Also called vessel waiting time, port delays, anchorage waiting time, vessel queueUpdated 14 October 2026

How it is measured

Waiting time: from a vessel's arrival at the anchorage until it berths at the terminal — UNCTAD's measure, which rose again in 2024 after easing in 2023.
Time in port: the whole call. The World Bank put the average container port call at 40.5 hours in 2023.
Ashore: container dwell and truck waiting times, which grow when yards fill.
The trend: one heading in UNCTAD's 2025 review reads 'Port congestion is growing globally'.

Same size of call, different ports

Economy	Average hours in port, 2024
United States	59.6
Netherlands	49.5
United Kingdom	48.4
Germany	45.2
UAE	43.7
India	31.7

World Bank, Container Port Performance Index 2020–2024, Table 5.1, for calls of 2,001–2,500 container moves. UNCTAD found container ships' median time in port turned up in 2024 to 0.8 days, and names geopolitical disruptions, shifting trade patterns and capacity constraints as the drivers of congestion.

Worked example: a congestion surcharge

Dunkerque, Terminal des Flandres: €120 per container on Maersk carrier-haulage moves from 19 February 2026 · a 12-container order → 12 × €120 = €1,440

Maersk passed on the congestion surcharge its hauliers bill for longer truck waiting times at the terminal, valid until further notice. The order is illustrative.

The mistake people make

Assuming congestion is only the ship's problem. The FMC found that increased demand exposed existing problems in the ocean supply chain, leading to extreme port and marine terminal congestion; the delay reaches shippers as longer dwell, demurrage and surcharges on trucking. Build buffer into lead times on lanes through ports that are already slow.

FAQ

Port congestion: common questions

What causes port congestion?: Demand outrunning capacity. UNCTAD names geopolitical disruptions, shifting trade patterns and capacity constraints; the FMC found the 2020–2022 surge exposed existing problems and was worsened by empty containers.
How long do ships wait at congested ports?: UNCTAD measured waiting time from anchorage to berth at 6.4 hours on average in developed countries and 10.9 hours in developing countries in December 2024.
What is a port congestion surcharge?: A charge passed to shippers while a port or terminal is congested. Maersk charged €120 per container on carrier-haulage moves to and from Dunkerque's Terminal des Flandres from 19 February 2026.