A new report by VesselBot reveals increasing fragmentation in global port performance, with significant variations emerging across regions, vessel sizes and seasonal patterns.
The report, titled “Port Performance in 2025: Shifting Trends Across Vessel Sizes and Regions,” is based on data from 660 container terminals and 6,393 container vessels worldwide.
According to the findings, vessels spent an average of seven hours at anchorage per port call in 2025. However, this figure varied considerably depending on location and time of year, ranging from 6.2 hours in July to 8.4 hours in December.
Regional differences were also pronounced, with average anchorage times of 5.7 hours in Northern Europe compared to 10.5 hours in the Mediterranean.
Year-on-year trends further highlight diverging performance across regions. Anchorage times increased by 32.9 percent in the Mediterranean and 39 percent in Northern Europe during the fourth quarter, while the U.S. West Coast was the only major region to record improvements in overall port efficiency.
The report also underscores the impact of vessel size on port operations. Feeder vessels recorded an average of 7.7 hours at anchorage and 16.4 hours at berth per call, while very large container ships averaged 3.9 hours at anchorage but significantly longer berth times of 34.2 hours.
As vessel size increases, anchorage and berth times move in opposite directions, creating distinct operational, cost and emissions profiles across the global fleet.
VesselBot estimates that total emissions during port calls exceeded 12 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2025. Of this, 22 percent was generated at anchorage and 78 percent while vessels were berthed, highlighting the environmental impact of port inefficiencies.
“Port performance is no longer a static benchmark, it’s a moving target,” said Constantine Komodromos, CEO and Founder of VesselBot.
“Organizations relying on past-year or quarterly port data are making routing, scheduling and cost decisions on information that no longer reflects reality. With real-time visibility, logistics teams can plan freight transportation more efficiently and respond to disruptions as they happen,” he added.
The report attributes the increasing fragmentation to global disruptions such as extreme weather events, labor strikes and geopolitical tensions, which are reshaping port performance patterns worldwide.
VesselBot said the findings highlight the growing need for real-time, high-frequency data to support more agile decision-making in logistics, including routing, scheduling and risk management.
