• Maersk has suspended direct calls to Felixstowe on the AE7 service from Asia due to “exceptional waiting times” at the port
  • CMA CGM has removed Savannah from the rotation on its “Liberty Bridge,” citing ongoing congestion
  • Maersk has dropped calls to Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu in Malaysia on the IA12 service, citing severe weather impact in Far East ports
  • Hapag-Lloyd noted that import restriction for reefers into Dalian is currently in place, leading to reefer cargo being directed elsewhere

Port congestion issues are not just confined to Los Angeles and Long Beach on the US West Coast but are widespread, container shipping expert Lars Jensen said, listing some specific examples from customer advisories in the last seven days.

In a LinkedIn post, Jensen said that Maersk has suspended direct calls to Felixstowe on the AE7 service from Asia due to “exceptional waiting times” at the port. The cargo is instead discharged in Wilhelmshaven. This will continue until March 2022.

CMA CGM has suspended calls to Le Havre and Puerto Angamos on its Europe-West Coast South America service, citing “heavy congestion and lack of productivity.” This will continue until end-March 2022.

CMA CGM has removed Savannah from the rotation on its “Liberty Bridge,” citing ongoing congestion. This is temporary with no end date stated.

Maersk has extended its suspension of the Le Havre port call on the Eurosal service until end-March 2022, citing continued severe congestion and productivity issues.

Maersk also warns of delays and deviations inland from Rijeka as train track closures are announced for November-December.

The carrier has also dropped the bi-weekly call in Napier in New Zealand on the OC1 service, citing terminal congestion in Oceania in general.

It has also dropped calls to Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu in Malaysia on the IA12 service, citing severe weather impact in Far East ports. Change is in effect until end-January 2022, said Jensen.

Hapag-Lloyd noted that import restriction for reefers into Dalian is currently in place, leading to reefer cargo being directed elsewhere.

The German carrier in a November 26 advisory also shared that a feeder suspension in South China will be imposed from late December to mid-February 2022 due to COVID-19 restrictions.

It said the suspension is caused by the COVID-19 quarantine requirement for ship crews plying between South China and Hong Kong upon their return from the Chinese New Year 2022 holidays.

Jensen said that while this will not directly impact cargo moving directly to/from the major deep-sea ports, it can give rise to a number of ripple effects that could affect shippers that only use the large ports in the region.

Photo by Richard W Sinyem from Malaysia 

You May Also Like
PortCalls August 20, 2025

PortCalls August 20, 2025

Our latest stories (August 20): BOC suspends online Tax Calculator to make…
ICTSI's Australia unit VICT signs new 4-year pact with unions

ICTSI’s Australia unit VICT signs new 4-year pact with unions

Victoria International Container Terminal – the Australian cargo-handling operation of International Container…

MNHPI proposes 20.32% hike in cargo-handling tariff, other rates

Manila North Harbour Port is proposing a 20.32% hike in cargo-handling tariff,…
Maritime companies confident in AI’s future, but…

Maritime companies confident in AI’s future, but…

Maritime companies may be confident that AI will have a big role…