Global Port Watch August 2026: Record Cargo, 19-Day Queues, Labor Strikes and a New Wave of Terminal Expansion
Port activity is moving in sharply different directions around the world as August progresses. The Port of Los Angeles handled 960,464 TEUs in July, its second-busiest July on record, while neighboring Long Beach moved 928,508 TEUs and Savannah increased July volume 5.7% to 503,739 TEUs. At the same time, vessel backlogs remain elevated at Shanghai and Ningbo following Typhoon Dolphin, Busan is dealing with heavy berth pressure and laden-yard utilization above 100% at BNCT, and several African gateways are experiencing multi-day queues, including a 19-day seven-day average at Conakry. German ports have just emerged from 24-hour warning strikes across six gateways, while Middle East disruption continues to divert UAE cargo through Fujairah and Khor Fakkan. The infrastructure pipeline is moving just as quickly: the Louisiana International Terminal received its federal construction permit on August 17, Singapore's automated Tuas Port has passed 25 million cumulative TEUs, and Lyttelton Port has announced an $821 million container-terminal expansion in New Zealand.
Operator Impact Snapshot
Record and near-record cargo volumes are appearing alongside severe congestion, labor disruption and a new wave of terminal construction. The result is a port market with sharply different operating conditions from one gateway to the next.
The port recorded its second-busiest July ever and remains 1.8% ahead of last year's pace through the first seven months.
Several African gateways remain heavily disrupted, while East Asian ports are also working through weather-related vessel backlogs.
The 24-hour actions have ended, but the wage dispute remains unresolved and negotiations are scheduled to resume.
New Zealand's South Island gateway plans a deepwater wharf, new container terminal, four STS cranes and semi-automated yard equipment.
Cargo has been shifted toward Fujairah and Khor Fakkan as operators build alternatives to Gulf gateways affected by Hormuz disruption.
Global Port Watchboard
Fourteen developments show the unusually wide gap between ports handling record cargo efficiently, gateways under severe operational pressure and terminals moving rapidly into new capacity investment.
| Port / Region | Current Signal | Latest Number | Operational Picture | Capacity / Infrastructure Move | Next Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Los Angeles United States |
HIGH VOLUME Second-best July on record. |
960,464 TEU July volume was 7.5% above the five-year July average. YTD volume reached 6.08 million TEU. | Seven-day average vessel wait is around one day despite historically strong throughput. | Port says it retains capacity to absorb additional cargo if global trade routes shift. | August is expected to remain strong, although part of the traditional peak-season cargo has already moved. |
|
Long Beach United States |
HIGH VOLUME Another near-record San Pedro Bay month. |
928,508 TEU Second-busiest July and fourth-highest month in port history. | Seven-day average vessel wait is approximately 1.11 days. | Long-term strategy targets substantially greater container capacity through terminal and rail investment. | Whether volumes moderate after the front-loaded U.S. peak season. |
|
Savannah United States |
GROWTH Imports and exports both increased. |
503,739 TEU July throughput increased 5.7% year over year. | Average vessel wait is about 1.22 days, although operational delays of roughly three days have been reported amid vessel bunching and trucking constraints. | Georgia continues expanding terminal and inland-port capacity around its Savannah gateway. | Export momentum after July shipments rose 7.7%. |
|
Louisiana International Terminal United States |
CONSTRUCTION GATE Federal permit secured August 17. |
Permit Granted U.S. Army Corps approval authorizes construction. | This is a future gateway rather than a current congestion event. | Lower Mississippi site is designed to handle ships above 16,000 containers that cannot reach Port NOLA's existing upriver terminal. | Movement into construction and final development phases with TiL and Ports America. |
|
Chancay Peru |
RAPID GROWTH New Pacific gateway scaling quickly. |
200,000 TEU H1 2026 container throughput increased 70.94%. | The port is building cargo density across Asia-South America mainline and feeder services. | First-phase infrastructure is already reshaping Peru's container gateway hierarchy. | Pace of volume growth and development of additional regional feeder connectivity. |
|
Shanghai / Ningbo China |
BACKLOG Typhoon recovery remains incomplete. |
Schedule Pressure Elevated yards, vessel backlogs and accumulated cargo. | Typhoon Dolphin created schedule instability, selected port omissions and higher rollover risk. | Both gateways retain enormous structural capacity, but current pressure is operational rather than purely physical. | Speed of backlog clearance and normalization of carrier schedules. |
| Singapore / Tuas |
RAMP-UP Automation program keeps expanding. |
25M TEU Cumulative Tuas throughput since September 2022. | Singapore's seven-day vessel wait is approximately 1.63 days amid strong demand and vessel bunching. | Tuas currently has 14 operational berths and is scheduled to reach 18 by 2027. | Whether new berth capacity absorbs increasing transshipment and vessel-bunching pressure. |
|
Busan South Korea |
YARD PRESSURE Transshipment inventory elevated. |
1.38 Days Seven-day average vessel waiting time. | Heavy berth congestion continues and laden-yard utilization at BNCT exceeds 100%. | Existing terminal capacity is being tested by transshipment inventory and irregular arrivals. | Yard density and recovery from bunched vessel calls. |
|
Rotterdam Netherlands |
CAPACITY WATCH Deepsea growth, transshipment contraction. |
212.0M Tonnes H1 total throughput increased 0.4%. | Seven-day average vessel wait is around 1.47 days, with berth constraints, elevated yards and Rhine disruptions. | H1 container transshipment fell 20% because of limited capacity. Additional terminal capacity is expected from late 2026. | Whether new capacity restores transshipment volumes without increasing yard pressure. |
| German Seaports |
LABOR WATCH 24-hour warning strikes have ended. |
6 Ports Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Brake and Emden were affected. | Cargo handling was delayed during the coordinated walkouts. | The issue is workforce and wage settlement rather than infrastructure capacity. | Bargaining is scheduled to resume in Hamburg after roughly 5,000 workers participated in the latest action. |
| UAE Gulf / East Coast |
ROUTE SHIFT Cargo being redistributed around Hormuz disruption. |
573K TEU AD Ports UAE Q2 throughput, down 65% year over year. | Feeder cargo and overland flows have been shifted through Fujairah and Khor Fakkan outside the Strait. | DP World plans two additional Fujairah terminals under a 50-year concession. | Degree to which East Coast UAE gateways become a permanent complement to Gulf terminals. |
| African Congestion Hotspots |
HEAVY Several of the world's longest current queues. |
19.0 Days Conakry average wait. Beira is 16.11, Tema 6.83 and Durban 4.25 days. | Storage limits, berth constraints, equipment issues, road congestion and terminal-system changes differ by port. | Recovery depends on both waterside productivity and inland evacuation capacity. | Conakry and Beira remain the largest delay exposures in this global watchlist. |
|
Lyttelton New Zealand |
MAJOR EXPANSION Te Awaparahi Bay project approved. |
$821M New port expansion and resilience investment. | Project is designed to avoid a disruptive rebuild of ageing existing container berths. | 388-metre deepwater wharf, 5-hectare terminal, four new STS cranes and semi-automated yard cranes. | Completion is targeted for 2031, with annual berth capacity around 850,000 TEU. |
|
Tauranga New Zealand |
APPROVAL WATCH Stella Passage project moved forward. |
Conditional Approval Draft fast-track decision issued August 17. | Expansion targets capacity constraints at New Zealand's largest container gateway. | Application includes major extensions to the Sulphur Point container berth and Mount Maunganui wharves. | Final conditions and completion of the fast-track approval process. |
Port Delay & Vessel Cost Exposure Calculator
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