Port Everglades Congestion Delays Steel Deliveries by 8 Weeks

FORT LAUDERDALE — Commercial and industrial construction projects throughout South Florida are facing steel delivery delays of six to eight weeks due to congestion at Port Everglades that has backed up structural steel imports from European and Asian mills, project managers and steel distributors said this week.

Vessel congestion at the port reached a seasonal high in late February 2026 when four large break-bulk carriers arrived within a 72-hour window, creating a backlog that the Port Authority said would require three to four weeks to clear. The delay compounds existing disruption in global steel shipping lanes attributed to Red Sea route diversions.

“We have a 40,000-ton order of W-shape structural beams from a German mill sitting on two vessels at anchor in the outer harbor,” said Doral-based steel service center Atlantic Steel Distributors President Marco Betancourt. “Our customers are calling every day. There’s nothing we can do until the port clears the queue.”

The Florida Department of Transportation said the delays have affected two major bridge replacement projects in Miami-Dade County, forcing schedule adjustments that will push completion of one project into the 2027 hurricane season — a complication for project insurance and weather contingency planning.

Port Everglades CEO Jonathan Daniels said the authority has authorized 24-hour gate operations and weekend crane shifts to accelerate vessel unloading. He projected the backlog would be cleared by early April.

Several South Florida general contractors said they have redirected structural steel procurement to Port of Tampa Bay as a contingency, though Tampa port capacity for heavy project cargo is also near its operational ceiling.

Author: Marcus Webb

Materials & Supply Chain Analyst. Tracks pricing trends, tariff impacts, and supply disruptions affecting Florida's construction market. Former procurement manager for a Top 50 ENR contractor.