OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE declined in most South East Asian ports in 3Q 2024 versus 2023 while average call size increased, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

News of congestion will be no news to carriers in SEA-Australasian trades, which have struggled for most of 2024 with delays in key hubs and cascading problems in Australian and NZ ports.

Main SEA ports saw a year-on-year increase in their throughput in the third quarter of 2024, S&P GMI says. The volume of moves increased while the number of vessels calling decreased in both large- and medium-sized port sample groups.

Average call size at main ports increased year-on-year in 3Q: The large ports that handle more than 4 million TEU per year experienced a 3% y/y increase collectively while the medium ports, handling between 0.5 million and 4 million TEU annually each, saw a 7% y/y growth as a group. Malaysia’s Port Klang showed the largest relative increase among large ports (+38% y/y) and Vietnam’s Da Nang among medium ports (+32% y/y).

Singapore and Port Klang experienced a notable decrease in their vessel calls in Q3 2024 compared to the same period last year (Singapore -16% y/y, Port Klang -44% y/y). The medium-sized port sample experienced a 4% y/y decline as a group.

S&P GMI says operational performance declined in both sample groups. Port-moves-per-hour (PMPH), berth-moves-per-hour (BMPH) and vessel waiting times showed worse performance in Q3 2024 compared to a year ago. Only the medium port group saw a year-on-year improvement of 7% in their BMPH.

Import container dwell time improved at most large ports. However, most medium ports saw a year-on-year rise in their import dwell time. Export dwell time rose at both large and medium ports. Most ports, from both sample groups, ended the third quarter with lower transhipment dwell time than at the start of the quarter.

S&P’s report comes just as the KIX/NZS consortium operating between SEA and NZ issued a second notification of a one-week schedule slide; the first took place in late October while the second will occur in early December.