Port congestion swallows 1.7m teu in structural rate shift
- Congestion is idling 1.7m teu — enough to rank as the world’s eighth-largest carrier — as late ships run 5 to 5.5 days behind, Sea-Intelligence said
- Demand has outrun the shore, with Far East volumes up 25% since 2024 against just 10% terminal-capacity growth, driving sustained spot rate rises from mid-May, according to Maersk
- Carriers see the strain as structural, warning that rates will increasingly hinge on port and inland capacity, not ships deployed
The supply chain bottleneck is shifting from sea to shore. With 1.7m teu now tied up in congestion, carriers say freight rates will increasingly be set by port capacity, not the ships they deploy
