Port dwell time
How long cargo sits at a terminal between arrival and onward movement, and the most sensitive early indicator of congestion.
Dwell time measures the interval between a container or piece of cargo being discharged and leaving the terminal, and it is distinct from the time a vessel waits for a berth. The two move for different reasons: berth waiting reflects vessel arrivals against quay capacity, while dwell reflects what is happening on the land side - yard space, inland transport, customs, or labour.
It is the most sensitive early indicator of congestion because it degrades before anything else visibly fails. A terminal running two days slower than usual is still working, and the effect appears as a slipped delivery date somewhere inland weeks later, by which time the cause is no longer obvious. Rising dwell also consumes yard space, which reduces discharge rate, which raises dwell further.
An aggregate figure for a port is close to useless on its own. What makes it actionable is attaching it to a specific consignment and the build waiting on it, which requires resolving vessel movement and cargo records onto the same shipment.
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