News / Maersk rethinks as congestion grows in West Africa

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Maersk is reporting serious disruption to its supply chains across West African ports from growing dock congestion and vessel delays.

The Danish carrier told customers port operations at Freetown, Tema, and Dakar, as well as its feeder network connecting these terminals, had been hobbled by the widespread logjam.

The carrier also said berthing delays at Freetown Terminal had increased to 15 days, causing significant schedule disruption and knock-on delays for vessels returning to Tema to load outbound shipments.

“A substantial cargo backlog remains on the ground, placing sustained pressure on terminal operations and vessel capacity,” it said.

The chaos has left the carrier facing feeder capacity constraints, limiting cargo acceptance on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis and turning down oversize or out-of-gauge cargo.

Maersk also said normal vessel positioning and cargo loading operations out of Tema would not return until the terminal congestion eased.  And to help mitigate the crisis, a shuttle vessel, the Maersk Antwerp, has been deployed to evacuate containers from Tema to Freetown, it noted.

“While vessel bunching is expected to gradually ease over the next two to three weeks, yard density may continue to increase in the short term,” Maersk told customers.

The carrier is also considering other mitigation measures, including handling cargo loading and discharge operations “in a more balanced manner”, and sequencing feeder vessels better to align with available yard capacity.

The West African region is a growing tradelane for Indian exporters as US tariff pressures increasingly force trade diversification.

Indian exports to West Africa are mainly driven by refined petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and machinery, available data shows. Two-way trade between India and the region was valued at some $100bn in fiscal year 2024-25. Ocean rates on India-Africa trades have also strengthened in recent months, reflecting the positive demand signals.

In addition to Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd are major players in India-Africa containerised trades.

Hapag-Lloyd this month announced a port rotation upgrade to its MIAX service connecting India, the Middle East and Africa, by introducing a new eastbound call at Cape Town in South Africa.

“This addition will further strengthen connectivity,” the carrier told customers.

The updated rotation of Jebel Ali-Mundra-Hazira-Nhava Sheva-Colombo-Durban-Tema-Tincan-Apapa-Cape Town-Durban-Jebel Ali began last week with a sailing from Cape Town, according to the carrier.