Congestion: Singapore Feeling the Pressure

Global supply chains are starting to show the strain again, and the ripple effects are being felt well beyond the immediate area of disruption.

One of the clearest examples right now is Port of Singapore.

As uncertainty continues around vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz, carriers are holding, delaying, or rerouting. That’s starting to show up in Singapore, where the seven day average number of vessels waiting at anchorage has risen to 30.3 as at March 25, up from around 20 prior to late February.

In a port like Singapore, it doesn’t take much for congestion to build.

When vessels arrive off schedule, or all at once, it quickly creates pressure on berths, feeder connections, and transhipment cargo flows.

We’re also now starting to see schedule disruption come into play, with some services choosing to bypass or omit Singapore altogether in an effort to recover time.

Similar patterns are emerging in other hubs, including Port of Busan, where vessel queues have also increased.

This isn’t demand driven congestion, it’s disruption led. And that tends to be less predictable and slower to unwind.

For shippers and consignees alike, it’s another reminder that delays don’t always start where the issue is. They do tend to show up quickly in key hubs like Singapore.

Transhipment vessels, transit times and arrival times are expected to change during this period.