According to reliable sources, the congestion of cargo ships has spread from Singapore, one of the busiest ports in Asia, to neighboring Malaysia.
According to Bloomberg, the supply chain has been seriously disrupted and the delivery time of goods has been delayed due to the inability of a large number of cargo ships to complete loading and unloading operations as scheduled.
Currently, about 20 container ships have been anchored in Port Klang on the west coast of Malaysia, more than 30 kilometers west of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Port Klang and Singapore are both located in the Strait of Malacca and are key ports connecting Europe, the Middle East and East Asia.
According to the Port Klang Authority, due to the continued congestion of neighboring ports and the unpredictable schedule of shipping companies, the situation is expected to continue in the next two weeks, and the delay time will be extended to 72 hours. ”
In terms of container cargo throughput, Port Klang ranks second in Southeast Asia, second only to Singapore Port. Malaysia's Port Klang plans to double its throughput capacity. At the same time, Singapore is also actively building Tuas Port, which is expected to become the world's largest container port in 2040.
Shipping analysts pointed out that the terminal congestion may continue until the end of August. Due to continued delays and diversions, container ship freight rates have risen again. According to the WCI (World Container Freight Index), the freight rate for each 40-foot container is still 1 in early 2024. Since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, merchant ships have avoided the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, causing congestion in maritime traffic. Many ships heading to Asia choose to bypass the southern tip of Africa because they cannot refuel or load and unload in the Middle East. Port Klang, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is an important port, and it is not common to see a large number of ships waiting to enter the port. At the same time, although the port of Tanjung Pelepas, located in southern Malaysia but close to Singapore, is also full of ships, but the number of ships waiting to enter the port is relatively small.
