“Chokepoint at the Hub: Transhipment Delays Ripple Into Australia”
Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas (PTP)—two of the world’s busiest transhipment hubs—are experiencing a fresh wave of congestion, creating ripple effects across Australian import and export routes. Carriers report average vessel delays of 3–6 days, with yard utilisation exceeding 90% in several terminals.
The congestion is driven by a combination of late-running vessels from Europe, schedule recovery manoeuvres in North Asia, and unusually high transhipment volumes ahead of Lunar New Year planning. Slot shortages at key terminals have forced multiple carriers, including major Asia–Australia alliances, to roll connecting cargo or reroute via secondary hubs such as Port Klang or Laem Chabang.
These delays are now visible across Australian schedules:
- Asia→Australia imports: ETA variances have widened from ±1 day to ±4–6 days.
- Australia→Europe exports: Missed connections are increasing, especially for wine, wool, beef and almonds transiting via Singapore.
- Oceania regional cargo: Transhipment from NZ to AU via Singapore is facing 4–5 day pushbacks.
Freight rate pressure is building too. Some carriers have introduced a Congestion Surcharge of USD 50–100/TEU, while others are signalling increases for December and January if yard conditions don’t improve.
Singapore alone handles more than 50% of all transhipment cargo bound for Australia, meaning even modest delays can distort entire supply chains. Retailers, automotive importers and FMCG distributors are already adjusting inventory plans to manage inconsistent ETAs.
What Australian shippers should do
- Expect +4–6 days delay on all Asia–Australia schedules through December.
- Ask carriers for backup routes (Port Klang/Laem Chabang) to avoid Singapore bottlenecks.
- Increase safety stock for fast-moving imports—especially retail & FMCG.
- Exporters: Ship 7–10 days earlier to avoid missing Europe/Middle East connections.
Source: Carrier schedule reliability dashboards & Southeast Asia port performance data
Disclaimer – Market data is from public sources we consider reliable but has not been independently verified; accuracy is not guaranteed