Shanghai congestion update

At the height of the recent wave of Omicron cases, average waiting times for tankers, bulkers and containerships at the port stretched to 66 hours in late April. Waiting times have now shortened to 28 hours, just an hour longer than the top end of the range seen at this time of year over the past three years.

The overall trend is most closely mirrored by containerships, the most populous ship type at the port. Average waiting times for containerships, having peaked at 69 hours in late April, are now down to 31 hours.

Congestion for tankers is also back within normal bounds. Average waiting times were at their worst in early April, at 37 hours but are now down to 18 hours, two hours shorter than the average levels seen at this time of year over the last three years.

Meanwhile, congestion for bulkers is now low for the time of year. Having peaked at 75 hours in late April, average waiting times are now 21 hours, which is level with the lowest average waiting times recorded for this time of year over the last three years.