Since May, the Suez Canal Container Terminal in Port Said has been impacted by congestion due to increased absenteeism by the work force. Although the Suez Canal Container Terminal has a geographical advantage, because of its continuous performance degradation, some carriers have switched to other terminals as a workaround. Here are the figures for vessel arrival counts and average berth times at Suez Canal Container Terminal in the past five weeks.

In the September 2013 issue of CargoSmart’s Innovating newsletter, we conducted a similar study and learned that the average berth time from June to August 2013 was 14-16 hours. This month’s study shows a decline in vessel arrivals and that the average berth time has almost doubled since the start of labor problems. It’s no surprise that carriers are seeking other options in the region until a resolution can be reached.

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