Dwell times at UK ports have more than doubled since last spring as global supply chains creak.

Shippers spent an average of more than seven days discharging at British ports last month, well above the European average of roughly five days.

The figure spiked to nearly nine days in January, as the introduction of post-Brexit customs rules led to new red tape and checks on imports.

Data from FourKites shows UK port of discharge dwell times have risen strongly from a low of 3.6 day last April, while remaining fairly steady across the rest of the continent. The supply chain logistics company also found there has been a sharp decrease in the percentage of Europe-bound shipments passing through the United Kingdom.

Britain’s share of transshipments, when a ship stops off at a port on its way to another destination, has fallen to 4pc from a high of 14pc in February 2021, suggesting shipping companies may be avoiding UK ports for transfer stops.

At the same time, several European countries have increased their share of ocean transfer shipments, mostly at the expense of Belgium.

There were long lorry delays at Calais last month following the introduction of new regulations, which required goods coming into Britain from the EU to be subjected to full customs controls.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to prolong the disruptions just as signs were emerging that inflation-stoking delays had begun to wane, economists have warned.

Glenn Koepke, of FourKites, predicted ocean rates could double from current levels as rail routes from East to West through Ukraine are blocked.

Global goods commerce was booming at the end of last year, with total merchandise trade increasing 1.1pc compared with November.

That brought the increase for 2021 to 10.3pc, according to the CPB Bureau in Amsterdam. The surge is attributed to a broad-based increase in demand for goods in the wake of global lockdowns.