Splash247: Ships face 24-day waits as Conakry congestion spirals

Published by Splash247

Containerships are facing waits of more than three weeks at Conakry as explosive cargo growth overwhelms Guinea’s principal commercial gateway, making it one of the most congested ports in the world.

Hapag-Lloyd has reported delays of 24 days or more at Conakry, compared with around six days at Abidjan and six to eight days at Tema. The German carrier has repeatedly cited heavy yard congestion and poor terminal performance, with berthing now managed on a first-come, first-served basis with one vessel per line.

The roots of Conakry’s problems go considerably deeper than the latest vessel queue.

Port officials revealed in June that cargo volumes originally forecast for 2030 were reached five years early in 2025. Container traffic increased from around 300,000 boxes in 2023 to 400,000 in 2025 and is projected to exceed 500,000 this year. Total cargo volumes have continued rising sharply.

The port has simply struggled to create storage and landside capacity quickly enough.

Empty containers have clogged valuable yard space, while the evacuation of imports is hampered by chronic congestion across Conakry itself. Local authorities acknowledge the problem extends beyond the terminal gates into roads, warehouses, customs processes and the wider logistics chain.

Seasonal rains add another handicap, periodically slowing or stopping cargo handling, particularly for weather-sensitive commodities.

Some carriers have already begun diverting Guinea-bound cargo through other ports, with local importers reporting containers routed via Lomé and even Las Palmas.

Maersk has responded by raising its congestion surcharge on Europe-Conakry cargo from August 1 to $1,750 for a 20 ft box and $2,500 for a 40 ft container.

Relief is coming, but not immediately. A new dry port at Kagbelen is targeted for completion in October, while Guinea is considering additional corridors through Moribaya and Dubréka and further terminal expansion.

West African ports are congested in many places this summer. Hapag-Lloyd is reporting waits of up to eight days at Abidjan, four to six days at Tema, around two days at Monrovia and up to 48 hours at Dakar. Abidjan in particular is struggling with heavy yard utilisation and vessel bunching, with carriers warning that a full recovery could still take several weeks.