Last updated awaiting first report — today's update is on its way.
About the Port of East London
East London is South Africa's only river port, built into the Buffalo River mouth. Its flagship trade is the automotive terminal serving the adjacent Mercedes-Benz South Africa plant — vehicle exports roll almost straight off the production line onto car carriers. It also operates a small container facility, a grain elevator (one of the largest in the country) and multi-purpose berths.
Container volumes are modest, with feeder and coastal services rather than the large deep-sea vessels that call at Durban or Ngqura. As a river port it has draught and length limits, so vessel size — not congestion — is usually the binding constraint.
What typically causes delays at East London
Typical delay drivers: river-port draught and vessel-size restrictions, tidal/weather windows for larger callers, automotive-terminal surges around production and shipment cycles, and occasional equipment constraints at the small container terminal.
East London port — frequently asked questions
How long are ships waiting outside East London right now?
The latest published figure is an average wait of not yet reported today with an unreported number of vessel(s) reported at anchorage. Status: no report. Updated each weekday morning.
Can large container ships call at East London?
No — as a river port in the Buffalo River, East London has draught and length limits that keep the big deep-sea container vessels away. Container cargo moves on smaller feeder/coastal services, or routes via Ngqura, Gqeberha or Durban.
What is East London port mainly used for?
Vehicle exports (the Mercedes-Benz plant ships through the port's car terminal), grain through its large elevator, break-bulk, and a modest container trade for the Eastern Cape hinterland.
Looking for port codes, routes and background? See the evergreen East London port profile.
Importing through East London?
Real-View watches your container through East London and every port on its route — vessel delays, stack changes and arrival alerts, without refreshing this page.
Track your shipment with Real-View →