Recently, pressure has been mounting significantly at several major ports in India and Pakistan.

Many shipments originally intended for direct delivery to the Gulf region are now being diverted to ports in India and Pakistan for transshipment or temporary storage to mitigate risks.

The result is that:

South Asian ports are becoming increasingly congested.

According to the latest port operations data from DHL, as of May 26, both the Port of Navasheva and the Port of Mundra on India’s west coast have experienced significant congestion.

Specifically, the average waiting time for berthing at the Port of Mundra over the past seven days has been nearly four days;

at the Port of Navasheva, it is approximately two and a half days.

Shipment delays, slower container pickup, queues for inland transport, and even empty container turnover are all being affected.

The situation is similar in Pakistan.

The Port of Karachi is currently operating at near-capacity.

Some terminal yards are already nearing maximum capacity.

Some terminals have even begun restricting container releases at the gates to control the volume of incoming containers.

If the volume of diverted cargo continues to increase, the pressure on South Asian ports will likely continue to rise.

And when ports become congested, the impact often extends far beyond the local area.

Subsequent vessel schedules, freight rates, container availability, and inland transport will all gradually ripple through the global supply chain.

If you have any upcoming shipments to South Asia or the Middle East, it is best to confirm vessel schedules and conditions at the destination port in advance.

At a time like this, the biggest concern isn’t the cost—it’s the “bottlenecks.”