If you're moving cargo through the US West Coast right now, Seattle deserves your attention.

Import performance at the Port of Seattle has deteriorated sharply over the past two weeks, hitting its worst reading in at least 90 days as of May 14. The 7-day average performance score — a composite of vessel arrival, terminal dwell, and gate-out times — climbed to 453 hours, up from around 68 hours in early April. That's a more than 6x degradation in six weeks.

The culprit is dwell time. The discharge-to-gate-out window (how long a container sits at the terminal after being unloaded) has surged to 291 hours — nearly double what it was just two weeks ago. Arrive-to-berth times also jumped, hitting 33 hours, suggesting vessel congestion is compounding terminal bottlenecks.

This isn't Seattle's first spike of the year — there were notable disruptions in late February and late March — but this one is different. Those earlier spikes resolved within days. The current escalation has been building steadily since May 4, with no sign of reversal yet.

Global Snapshot: Biggest Movers This Week

Beyond Seattle, this week's data flagged significant volatility across multiple regions.

Import Performance

Dar Es Salaam stands out because its deterioration is confirmed by year-over-year data — this isn't a statistical blip, it reflects a genuine and sustained capacity strain at one of East Africa's most critical trade gateways.

Export Performance

Chongqing is worth noting for a different reason than the others. As a major inland port and key node in China's rail-to-sea trade corridors, export slowdowns there can have upstream effects that don't always show up immediately at coastal ports.

The Saudi export rebound is notable — both Jubail and Ad Dammam posted dramatic improvements this week after what appears to have been a volatile stretch. Middle East export performance is worth tracking closely in coming weeks.

What This Means for Your Operations

• US West Coast routing decisions: If Seattle is in your lane, factor in potentially multi-day dwell delays until the current trend reverses. Nearby alternatives or transshipment options may be worth modeling.
• East Africa contingency planning: Dar Es Salaam's degradation is real and data-confirmed. Shippers relying on this corridor should pressure-test their buffer times.
• Middle East export windows: Saudi port performance swings sharply week-to-week right now. Build flexibility into export booking lead times out of the Gulf.