West and Central Africa port congestion, October 2026: add 1 to 2 weeks to festive-season lead times
Port delays at Abidjan, Tema, Pointe-Noire, Tin Can and Douala, and Hapag-Lloyd's Asia-West Africa sailings slipped a week. What to budget.
Container ships are waiting about 4.5 days at Abidjan and 5.8 days at Tema in October 2026, and Hapag-Lloyd's Asia-West Africa sailings slid one week. Pointe-Noire's yard is 100% full. If you are importing for the festive season, add 1 to 2 weeks to your lead time and budget for demurrage.
For: ImportersResellersSmall businesses
The short version
- Abidjan: yard heavily congested, delays of 3 to 4 days even with fixed berth windows, average wait about 4.5 days, some ships up to 12 days. Recovery plan runs to end of October.
- Tema: average vessel wait about 5.8 days (Africans Time; Hapag-Lloyd lists berth delays of 2 to 3 days); reefer yard over 93% full.
- Pointe-Noire: yard 100% full, delays up to 3 days. Tin Can: 24 to 48 hours. Douala: about 48 hours (rain).
- Hapag-Lloyd's Asia-West Africa (AWA) sailings slid one week, and one westbound sailing was cancelled over China's Golden Week.
By the numbers
What changed
Hapag-Lloyd's operations update for week 43 (October 19, 2026) and an Africans Time report from October 14 describe delays at the main ports that serve Chinese cargo:
| Port | Reported delay or condition |
|---|---|
| Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) | 3 to 4 day delays even with fixed berth windows; average wait about 4.5 days, some ships up to 12 days; recovery plan to end of October |
| Tema (Ghana) | Average wait about 5.8 days (Africans Time; Hapag-Lloyd lists berth delays of 2 to 3 days); reefer yard over 93% full |
| Pointe-Noire (Congo) | Yard 100% full; delays up to 3 days |
| Tin Can (Lagos, Nigeria) | 24 to 48 hours |
| Douala (Cameroon) | About 48 hours, due to rain |
Source: Hapag-Lloyd operations update, week 43; Africans Time, October 14, 2026. Hapag-Lloyd also lists Dakar (no delay for vessels in their berth window, up to 72 hours for others) and Matadi (one vessel a day, 7.5 m draft).
On the ocean leg, Hapag-Lloyd's Asia-West Africa (AWA) sailings slid by one week, and one westbound sailing was cancelled over Golden Week in China.
What it means for your business
A late vessel and a slow port stack. A container that leaves China a week late and then waits 4.5 days to berth at Abidjan can reach your warehouse well over a week after the date you were quoted. Sea transit from Shanghai to Apapa is already about 35 to 45 days port to port, so a 1 to 2 week slip matters for December stock.
The cost risk is demurrage and storage: charges start once your container sits past its free days, and a congested yard also makes pickup slow. We do not have published demurrage rates for these ports, so ask your forwarder for the free days and the daily rate after them, and put a cushion in the budget.
Who is affected
- Importers of festive goods (decor, gifts, clothing, electronics) shipping to Abidjan, Tema, Pointe-Noire, Lagos or Douala.
- Traders who rely on one container to restock before December.
- Importers of chilled or frozen goods at Tema: the reefer yard is over 93% full.
What to do now
- Add 1 to 2 weeks to every lead time you gave your customers for festive orders.
- Ask your forwarder for free days at destination and the daily demurrage rate, and budget for a few days of it.
- Book your customs clearing agent early and have documents ready so the container leaves the yard fast.
- For urgent lines, consider splitting the order: a small air shipment for the fastest sellers, sea for the rest. See shipping from China.
- Add the extra costs to your landed price with the Africa import duty calculator.
Plan your festive shipment with a real landed cost
Delays and demurrage change your margin. Check duty, levies and freight before you pay your supplier.
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General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change often: check the official sources above or a licensed customs broker before you act. SuanSupply is not affiliated with any government agency or marketplace named here.