Triple 14 — Thursday, September 10, 2026

TL;DR — the day in port + freight. US port congestion is generally easing, though specific terminals in Charleston and Los Angeles are experiencing vessel delays of up to 18 and 12 hours respectively, while Savannah and Houston see moderate waits of up to six hours [2]. Overall import friction at LA/Long Beach and NY/NJ is rated "Flowing," with Savannah showing "Some pressure" as of late August 2026 [1].

Port snapshot — dwell, backups, chassis at LA/LB, NY/NJ, Savannah, Houston. At LA/Long Beach, the import-friction read is "Flowing" with zero ships awaiting berth as of the week of August 24, 2026, and a truck planning-time index of 2.19 [1]. However, Hapag-Lloyd's Week 36 data, published September 8, 2026, shows APM Terminals Pier 400 in Los Angeles facing vessel waiting times of up to 12 hours, while Yusen Terminals and Fenix Marine Services have no wait [2]. Portcast reports a low median waiting time of 0.08 days for Los Angeles for the week of August 30 to September 5, 2026 [3]. NY/NJ is also "Flowing" with a truck planning-time index of 2.37 as of June 1, 2026, and Hapag-Lloyd reports no significant vessel queues there [1][2]. Savannah's import-friction read is "Some pressure" as of August 25, 2026, but vessel delays have eased to up to six hours at Garden City Terminal, down from 18 hours in the previous week [1][2]. Houston is experiencing moderate delays of up to six hours at Barbours Cut Terminal and around three hours at Bayport Terminal [2]. No material development regarding chassis availability in the fetched sources this cycle.

Service advisories — weather, labor, rail connections. Despite the vessel delays at LA's Pier 400, terminal gates across the LA/Long Beach complex are operating according to published schedules [2]. Truck turn times at Charleston's Wando Welch Terminal average around 24 minutes, indicating smooth inland connectivity despite vessel queues [2]. No material development regarding weather disruptions, labor issues, or rail connection delays in the fetched sources this cycle.

Regulatory — port authority rulings, demurrage rules, tariffs. No material development in the fetched sources this cycle.

Signals worth watching — what to track next. Brokers and shippers should monitor the persistent vessel delays at Charleston's Wando Welch Terminal, where non-Gemini vessels face up to 18-hour waits, and Los Angeles's APM Terminals Pier 400, which has 12-hour delays [2]. Additionally, track the situation at Savannah, where despite easing delays, the overall import friction remains under "Some pressure" [1][2]. Any shifts in the truck planning-time indices at LA/Long Beach and NY/NJ, currently at 2.19 and 2.37 respectively, could signal emerging drayage congestion [1].

Sources 1. US port congestion & dwell time (September 2026) | The Dwell — https://the-dwell.com/stats 2. Vessel delays hit major US container gateways (2026-09-08) | Container News — https://container-news.com/vessel-delays-hit-major-us-container-gateways/ 3. Los Angeles Port - Live Port Congestion Data | Portcast — https://www.portcast.io/port-congestion/los-angeles