A "brutal slowdown" in port operations due to delayed vessel calls is occurring as the northern summer wears on. According to a maritime, port, and logistics industry analyst, Jon monroe, this is happening "because ships are arriving later than ever." Along these lines, he points out that Sea Rates found that global ports experienced a staggering 300% increase in delays during the first half of June, affecting nearly 96% of the world's major ports.

According to him, the current situation is due to "a toxic mix of erratic ship schedules, terminal jams, blank sailings, bad weather, geopolitical shocks, and terminals holding containers much longer than usual, which all conspire to ruin the punctuality of sailings and calls."

With port call delays extending from 48 to 72 hours, and sometimes for several days longer, Singapore, Rotterdam, Savannah, Vancouver, and Cape Town have become the top five locations worldwide experiencing this type of "invisible port jam."

Meanwhile, China is experiencing a more conventional type of congestion, with ships in the ports of Qingdao and Ningbo facing waits of up to 72 hours for berths due to weather disruptions and backlogs. In Shanghai, meanwhile, ships have experienced delays of up to 60 hours waiting to dock.

But according to MonroeAt this point, "the surprising thing" happens: while ports struggle to manage the pressure of delays, space for vessels sailing from China has suddenly become abundant, and booking activity is decreasing daily. As a result, "rates are falling as importers realize there's no longer any need to panic, and demand is deflating just as capacity is expanding."

Summing up the situation, he says: “Yes, the docks may be empty of ships waiting to dock, but that doesn't mean business is flowing smoothly. Delayed vessels are driving the narrative of the [northern] summer, reducing margins, lengthening supply chains, and putting ports on hold when they should be operating at full speed.”

Meanwhile in Iran… 

What has begun to be called the "Twelve-Day War" between Israel and Iran, and which the US later joined, brought with it the possibility of leading to the worst-case scenario for an already strained maritime industry: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. However, on the afternoon of June 23, Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. However, the situation remains critical, considering that, at the time of the announcement, air and missile attacks between the two countries continued. At press time, the ceasefire appeared more secure, although the agreement's fragility remains latent.

However, various analyses consider a complete closure of the Strait by Iran to be unlikely, as it is using this threat more as a political bargaining chip. If the measure is implemented, it would effectively cut off its own crude oil production and, in turn, harm its main trading partners, including China, Oman, Qatar, and India.

The head of analysis of Freightos, Judah Levine, highlights that even during the conflict, the flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz remained generally normal, as did operations at the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, the main regional transshipment hub, key for sea and air transport of containers from the Far East and continuing by air to Europe and North America.

Meanwhile, it describes that, in Israel, the ports of Haifa and Ashdod also remained operational at all times, while Freightos There was no instability in container rates on Israeli routes, although some shipping lines diverted their calls from the port of Haifa to Ashdod.

Attention will return to the trade war 

Thus, with the potential easing of the Middle East crisis and its implications for trade, attention will once again turn to the US-China trade war and the imminent expiration of the tariff suspension.

"Countries, other than China, facing reciprocal US tariffs announced in April only have until July 9 to reach agreements or face potential tariff increases," he recalls. Levine.