Freight disruptions that started in 2023
11 events started in 2023; 3 were still ongoing at the end of 2023.
The most severe was Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea divert traffic around Africa, a security incident rated severity 5 (Critical).
The most common type was weather stoppage, 3 of the 11 events.
July had the most starts, 3.
9 of the 11 events have a computed measured effect in public data.
Of 2 measured falls that have recovered, the fastest was Typhoon Saola halts port work in Hong Kong and Shenzhen at 6 days and the slowest Cyclone Biparjoy suspends operations at Gujarat ports at 9 days, counted from the end of each measured window.
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
Key facts
- Events
- 11
- Ongoing now
- 1
- Most severe
- 5 (Critical)
- Median recovery (measured events)
- 6 days
Month by month in 2023
Events by the month they started. Months with events link to the list below the strip.
- Jan0 events in January 2023
- Feb2 events in February 2023
- Mar1 event in March 2023
- Apr0 events in April 2023
- May0 events in May 2023
- Jun1 event in June 2023
- Jul3 events in July 2023
- Aug1 event in August 2023
- Sep0 events in September 2023
- Oct1 event in October 2023
- Nov2 events in November 2023
- Dec0 events in December 2023
- February 2023: Earthquake and container fire close Iskenderun port in Turkey; Cyclone Freddy halts cargo handling at the port of Beira in Mozambique
- March 2023: Drought cuts draft and daily transits at the Panama Canal
- June 2023: Cyclone Biparjoy suspends operations at Gujarat ports
- July 2023: Longshore strike stops cargo at British Columbia ports; Ransomware stops container handling at the Port of Nagoya; Russia ends Black Sea Grain Initiative participation and strikes Ukrainian ports
- August 2023: Typhoon Saola halts port work in Hong Kong and Shenzhen
- October 2023: Vessel congestion at the Port of Durban container terminals
- November 2023: DP World Australia disconnects its network after a cyber incident; Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea divert traffic around Africa
Biggest measured moves
One lead figure per event, the current primary measurement with the largest absolute standardised score, ranked by that score. 5 of 9 shown.
Typhoon Saola halts port work in Hong Kong and Shenzhen · Weather stoppage, severity 2 (Moderate), started 2023-08-31 (31 August 2023)
Port calls, Hong Kong, 2023-08-31 (31 August 2023) to 2023-09-02 (2 September 2023): 22.0 calls per day against 45.2 expected (-51.3%, standardised score -3.4).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Cyclone Biparjoy suspends operations at Gujarat ports · Weather stoppage, severity 2 (Moderate), started 2023-06-12 (12 June 2023)
Port calls, Mundra, 2023-06-12 (12 June 2023) to 2023-06-17 (17 June 2023): 1.2 calls per day against 10.4 expected (-88.8%, standardised score -2.9).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Earthquake and container fire close Iskenderun port in Turkey · Port closure, severity 3 (Significant), started 2023-02-06 (6 February 2023)
Port calls, Iskenderun, 2023-02-06 (6 February 2023) to 2023-04-10 (10 April 2023): 0.8 calls per day against 3.1 expected (-74.6%, standardised score -1.3).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Ransomware stops container handling at the Port of Nagoya · Cyber incident, severity 2 (Moderate), started 2023-07-04 (4 July 2023)
Container ship port calls, Nagoya, 2023-07-04 (4 July 2023) to 2023-07-06 (6 July 2023): 7.7 calls per day against 10.7 expected (-28.1%, standardised score -0.9).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Longshore strike stops cargo at British Columbia ports · Labour action, severity 3 (Significant), started 2023-07-01 (1 July 2023)
Port calls, Vancouver (CA), 2023-07-01 (1 July 2023) to 2023-07-19 (19 July 2023): 3.6 calls per day against 5.1 expected (-29.9%, standardised score -0.7).
Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms.
This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.
Carried over from earlier years
1 event that started before 2023 and were still in force during it.
- EU ban on seaborne Russian crude and the G7 price cap take effect, started 2022-12-05 (5 December 2022), still ongoing.
Ended in 2023
8 events with an end date in 2023, whichever year they started.
- Earthquake and container fire close Iskenderun port in Turkey, started 2023-02-06 (6 February 2023), ended 2023-04-10 (10 April 2023).
- Cyclone Freddy halts cargo handling at the port of Beira in Mozambique, started 2023-02-22 (22 February 2023), ended 2023-03-01 (1 March 2023).
- Cyclone Biparjoy suspends operations at Gujarat ports, started 2023-06-12 (12 June 2023), ended 2023-06-17 (17 June 2023).
- Longshore strike stops cargo at British Columbia ports, started 2023-07-01 (1 July 2023), ended 2023-07-19 (19 July 2023).
- Ransomware stops container handling at the Port of Nagoya, started 2023-07-04 (4 July 2023), ended 2023-07-06 (6 July 2023).
- Russia ends Black Sea Grain Initiative participation and strikes Ukrainian ports, started 2023-07-17 (17 July 2023), ended 2023-08-16 (16 August 2023).
- Typhoon Saola halts port work in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, started 2023-08-31 (31 August 2023), ended 2023-09-02 (2 September 2023).
- DP World Australia disconnects its network after a cyber incident, started 2023-11-10 (10 November 2023), ended 2023-11-13 (13 November 2023).
By severity
| Severity | Events |
|---|---|
| 5 Critical | 1 |
| 4 Severe | 1 |
| 3 Significant | 4 |
| 2 Moderate | 5 |
By type
| Type | Events |
|---|---|
| Weather stoppage | 3 |
| Security incident | 2 |
| Cyber incident | 2 |
| Congestion episode | 1 |
| Labour action | 1 |
| Drought restriction | 1 |
| Port closure | 1 |
2 of 2 measured falls from 2023 had recovered by the last day of data in this build. Recovery time for every event.