Port Congestion | 12-Week Line-Up: Global Port Congestion Intensifies Amid Adverse Weather, Strikes, and Railway Bottlenecks 港口拥堵 | 12周 line-up 全球港口拥堵加剧：恶劣天气、罢工与铁路瓶颈三重冲击

Overview of Congestion

拥堵情况简介

Delays in Canadian Ports Due to Adverse Weather

According to the latest port information in March, the multimodal operations of several container ports in North America have been affected by adverse weather conditions. These conditions, which may include strong winds, high waves, blizzards, or other extreme climatic phenomena, are particularly common in the North Atlantic during winter. They can severely impact vessel navigation, causing ships to deviate from their scheduled routes or delay their arrival times.

On the East Coast, Halifax Port in Canada is experiencing significant delays due to severe North Atlantic weather conditions. Additionally, rail dwell times have been exceptionally high, averaging 18 days. On the West Coast, both Vancouver Port and Prince Rupert Port are also facing significant delays due to rail issues. Vancouver Port has seen export container dwell times stretching to 20-30 days, while import containers are delayed by 2-5 days.

加拿大港口因恶劣天气面临延误

根据3月的最新港口信息，北美多个集装箱港口的多式联运作业受到恶劣天气影响，这种天气可能包括强风、大浪、暴雪或其他极端气候现象，这些情况在北大西洋的冬季尤为常见，会对船舶航行造成严重影响，导致船舶偏离预定航线或延误到港时间。

在东海岸，加拿大的哈利法克斯港由于恶劣的北大西洋天气条件，船舶出现严重延误。此外，铁路停留时间异常之高，平均达到18天。西海岸的温哥华港和普林斯鲁珀特港也因铁路问题出现显著延误，温哥华港的出口集装箱停留时间长达20-30天，进口集装箱延误2-5天。

Strong Winds Hit Cape Town Port

Since March 2025, Cape Town Port in South Africa has been severely paralyzed by continuous extreme strong winds. Local meteorological departments have recorded peak wind speeds of up to 90 kilometers per hour, forcing the Cape Town Container Terminal to suspend all container loading and unloading operations immediately, citing "safety first." This decision has directly led to a large backlog of container ships waiting for loading and unloading operations in the port's anchorage area, with average delays extending to 8 days and some vessels already stranded for over 2 days.

The congestion has exposed the port's weak emergency response capabilities. Although strong winds are a seasonal risk, inadequate wind-resistant standards for equipment and limited anchorage capacity have exacerbated supply chain disruptions. The backlog of vessels has not yet been fully resolved, and meteorological warnings indicate that more adverse weather is on the way. Port operations are likely to deteriorate further, potentially triggering a regional logistics chain collapse.

强风侵袭南非开普敦港

受持续数日的极端强风天气影响，南非开普敦港（Cape Town）自2025年3月起陷入严重作业瘫痪。当地气象部门监测到风速峰值达90公里/小时，迫使开普敦集装箱码头以“安全优先”原则暂停所有集装箱装卸作业，暂停令立即生效。这一决策直接导致港口外锚地积压大量等待装卸的集装箱船，平均延误时间延长至8天，部分船舶滞留已超过2天。

此次拥堵暴露出港口应急能力的薄弱——强风虽为季节性风险，但设备防风标准不足与锚地容量有限加剧了供应链中断。目前积压船舶尚未完全疏解，而气象预警显示更多恶劣天气即将到来，港口运营恐面临进一步恶化，甚至可能触发区域性物流链崩溃。

Intermittent Strikes in French Ports to Continue Throughout March

In protest of pension reform, unions at major French ports have been staging intermittent strikes since January, which escalated in February. Le Havre Port and Marseille Port—the two largest container hubs and core centers for rail freight in France—have been the main targets of the strikes. The unions plan to hold a 72-hour general strike from March 18 to 20 and will initiate multiple 4-hour strikes between March 4 and 28, while also restricting overtime and shift work. According to the French Transport and Logistics Federation (TLF), a single day of strikes causes €40 million in economic losses. The strikes in February have already led to a sharp drop in port throughput, with businesses facing order delays and customer loss.

Vessels have been forced to divert to European ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam, increasing logistics costs and delivery times and exacerbating regional congestion. Meanwhile, the escalation of strikes at Rotterdam Port in the Netherlands during the same period has further amplified the uncertainty of the global supply chain, putting significant pressure on the European trade network.

法国港口间歇性罢工将持续整个三月

为抗议养老金改革，法国主要港口工会自1月起发起间歇性罢工，并于2月升级行动。勒阿弗尔港和马赛港——法国两大集装箱枢纽及铁路货运核心——成为主要冲击点。工会计划3月18-20日举行72小时总罢工，并将在3月4日至28日间发起多次4小时罢工，同时限制加班与轮班。据法国运输和物流联盟（TLF）统计，单日罢工造成4000万欧元经济损失，2月罢工已导致港口吞吐量暴跌，企业面临订单延误与客户流失。

船舶被迫改道安特卫普、鹿特丹等欧洲港口，推高物流成本与交付周期，加剧区域拥堵。同期荷兰鹿特丹港罢工升级，进一步放大了全球供应链的不确定性，欧洲贸易网络承压显著。