Sellexio Maritime Data · Monthly report

Port Congestion Report — August 2026

The worst container gateways this month, ranked by measured average vessel waiting time from our own AIS observation history. Every number below comes from the Port Friction Index — no carrier surveys, no self-reported terminal figures.

Gateways measured

53

Worst average wait

317.0 h

Rotterdam

Estimated daily cash burn

$174,030,120

across all gateways

What changed since July 2026

This is the first published month for these gateways, so there is no prior-period comparison yet. Next month's edition will show the movement.

The chart

Republish this chart freely with attribution to the Sellexio Port Friction Index.

Worst container gateways — August 2026Average vessel waiting time, hours — measured from AIS anchorage-to-berth observationsRotterdam317.0 hAntwerp-Bruges238.6 hSingapore165.1 hPiraeus271.0 hShenzhen / Yantian214.5 hHamburg279.5 hAmbarli (Istanbul)116.1 hHouston242.8 hNew York / New Jersey274.8 hTanjung Priok (Jakarta)88.4 hSource: Sellexio Port Friction Index, August 2026 · sellexio.co/port-friction-index
Worst container gateways — August 2026 — average vessel waiting time by gateway, August 2026. Free to republish with attribution to the Sellexio Port Friction Index.
Download the data (CSV)Cite as: Sellexio Port Friction Index, August 2026.

Worst gateways, August 2026

#GatewayAvg waitP90 waitVs July 2026FrictionDaily burn
1RotterdamNLRTM317.0 h647.9 h—100$39,342,600
2Antwerp-BrugesBEANR238.6 h643.1 h—100$21,736,440
3SingaporeSGSIN165.1 h594.5 h—100$12,406,680
4PiraeusGRPIR271.0 h637.3 h—100$7,527,960
5Shenzhen / YantianCNSZX214.5 h611.4 h—100$6,173,640
6HamburgDEHAM279.5 h648.2 h—100$5,983,560
7Ambarli (Istanbul)TRAMB116.1 h486.4 h—100$5,611,320
8HoustonUSHOU242.8 h625.2 h—100$8,066,520
9New York / New JerseyUSNYC274.8 h645.8 h—100$4,241,160
10Tanjung Priok (Jakarta)IDTPP88.4 h360.8 h—100$4,122,360
11BusanBUSAN136.6 h461.5 h—100$3,286,800
12Port SaidEGPSD143.1 h613.3 h—100$3,286,800
13Shanghai / YangshanSHANGHAI154.4 h461.5 h—100$2,997,720
14Le HavreFRLEH203.6 h623.7 h—100$2,930,400
15Panama CanalPANAMA196.5 h461.1 h—100$2,633,400

Method: waiting time is measured from AIS position reports inside each gateway's anchorage polygon until berth arrival. Daily burn estimates the cost of waiting tonnage and the demurrage it typically generates downstream. See our methodology.

Why congestion turns into demurrage

Waiting at anchorage is not free time. Carrier free days generally start counting from discharge, so a vessel that sits 317.0 h at anchorage arrives into a terminal whose yard is already full — and the clock starts against a congested pickup window. That mismatch is where most disputable demurrage is created, and it is contestable when the delay is documented.

Demurrage vs detention explainedCarrier free-time tariffsLive Port Friction Index

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