Delayed for more than 5 days, two major ports in the Middle East "sparked red lights" and port congestion began to spread
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According to the latest global port dynamics report released by DHL, the Port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates and the Port of Dammam in Saudi Arabia are currently marked in red status, with freight delays generally exceeding five days. At the same time, some ports in Europe and the Americas are also facing varying degrees of operational pressure, and global supply chain risks are continuing to spread from maritime routes to key node ports.
The Middle East and the Indian Ocean: areas where pressure is currently most concentrated
The report points out that the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region are currently experiencing multiple challenges such as severe port congestion, long delays, tight shipping capacity and blocked inland transportation. Among them, the delays at Jebel Ali Port and Dammam Port were the most prominent, with waiting times exceeding 5 days.
Industry media PortCalls analyzed that the current congestion pressure in Middle East ports is not only caused by the concentration of ships arriving at the port due to the red sea diversion, but also related to the difficulty in simultaneously improving the terminal processing capacity. A large number of ships are berthing at the same time, further exacerbating the turnover burden on berths and yards.
Europe: Nordic ports maintain high-pressure operations
In the European region, land transport capacity at Nordic ports remains tight. Core hub ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp continue to operate at high load. Although there has not been a red alert like in the Middle East, high terminal utilization and limited rail and truck transshipment efficiency have led to a slowdown in overall circulation.
Americas: Overall controllable, local bottlenecks appear
According to DHL's assessment, the overall situation of American ports is relatively stable, but signs of congestion have emerged in some areas. The main manifestations are extended storage time, slow recovery of the railway network and shortage of inland transportation equipment. Although there has not yet been a large-scale port congestion in North America, fuel surcharges continue to rise and shipping companies actively reduce shipping capacity, which is pushing up the already high freight rates.
Asia-Pacific region: relatively stable operation, strong export demand
The overall operation of ports in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively smooth, but there are still local congestions at individual nodes. For example, delays at the Port of Manila in the Philippines are approximately 2 to 5 days. At the same time, Asian export demand remains strong. Data shows that global shipping demand will grow by approximately 7% in 2026, with the main driving force coming from Asia’s export volume.
For companies engaged in international trade, the current challenge is not only to control transportation costs, but also to maintain the stable operation of the supply chain in a highly volatile environment. Many freight forwarding companies have recommended that customers advance their booking cycles by 2 to 3 weeks, appropriately increase inventory buffers, and reduce reliance on a single port to spread risks.
