Container ports in the western Mediterranean–primarily Tanger-Med in Morocco and in Barcelona, and Algeciras in Spain–are approaching full capacity, raising the risk of higher inventory costs and component shortages for Europe’s retailers and manufacturers in the latest challenge to the region’s supply chains, said Financial Times on Tuesday.
Following Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, port officials reported overcrowded storage yards and long waits for boats to berth, resulting in an increase in traffic at Algeciras, Barcelona, and Tangier.
Denmark’s Maersk recently informed clients that “yard density” at the Port of Barcelona had grown due to excessive capacity, as the port handled significantly higher than normal trans-shipment activities. Maersk also reported problems at terminals in Algeciras and Tangier.
The chief executive of TTI Algeciras, Alonso Luque, stated that the port’s capacity is “very limited.”
Nabil Boumezzough, head of the Tangier Alliance management board, which operates Morocco’s TC3 container terminal, stated that the facility has been functioning regularly this year, with its yard practically full.
“This is challenging your efficiency and challenging your productivity and challenging how you manage your port,” he added.
APM Terminals, the terminal-operating arm of AP Møller-Maersk, reported “short-term pressure” on its facilities at Barcelona, Algeciras, and Tangier, but is currently witnessing “significant improvements.”
Vessel monitoring systems suggest that boats are frequently waiting at anchor offshore in both Algeciras and in Tangier before berthing. Such waits are generally an indication that ports are becoming crowded.
According to Luque, a lack of capacity at Algeciras and Tangier, which are on opposite sides of the Gibraltar Strait, has caused shipping lines to travel to less accessible ports farther afield.
Following Iranian-backed Houthi strikes, most big container shipping companies operating on the Asia-Europe route have re-routed freight to the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Suez Canal.
These detours have pressured shipping companies to implement accommodations for commodities traveling between Asia and ports in Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
After passing via South Africa, numerous ships drop off containers in ports on the western side of the Mediterranean, such as Algeciras and Tangier. From there, short-distance “feeder” lines transport commodities to other southern European ports.
While Algeciras and Tangier-Med have not disclosed any traffic numbers this year, Barcelona reported a 17% increase in containers handled in February compared to the same month last year.