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You need a reliable way to quantify current congestion at Jebel Ali so your transportation systems can decide when to route, schedule, or communicate delays. By the end of this guide, you will query the FreightPulse Port Congestion API for Jebel Ali (AEJEA), interpret the 7-day average vs 90-day baseline signal, and ship a production-grade integration with caching, limits, and field handling in place.

What you get from the Jebel Ali congestion endpoint

The FreightPulse Port Congestion endpoint returns a compact congestion signal for Jebel Ali (AEJEA) derived from IMF PortWatch. The metric is lagged about 6–7 days and represents the last 7 days’ average port calls versus a 90-day baseline, not live AIS wait times. This is purpose-built for transportation planning where stability and comparable baselines matter more than minute-by-minute vessel movements.

Illustration: Jebel Ali Port Congestion API

Core characteristics you can depend on:

Authentication, limits, and request format

Requests are authenticated via an API key header. If you do not send a key, you are a guest with a limit of 100 requests per day per IP. Use your own key to raise limits and add reliability.

If you are new, create a key in minutes: Register. For field definitions and update cadence, see the Documentation.

Official cURL and JSON for AEJEA

Use the header-based authentication shown below. Copy-paste the command and replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual key when you are ready.

Live FreightPulse congestion for AEJEA.
Source: live

cURL:

curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" "https://freightpulsehq.com/api/v1/port-congestion?port=AEJEA"

JSON:

{
"success": true,
"data": {
"results": [
{
"port": "Jebel Ali",
"locode": "AE JEA",
"country": "United Arab Emirates",
"congestion": "moderate",
"as_of": "2026-09-25",
"metrics": {
"recent_avg_portcalls_per_day": 4.4,
"baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day": 5.1,
"ratio_vs_baseline": 0.87
}
}
],
"global_summary": {
"ports_high_congestion": 0,
"ports_moderate": 1,
"ports_low": 0
},
"meta": {
"source": "IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org) - UN Global Platform AIS data",
"data_lag_days": "~6-7 (daily updates, not real-time)",
"methodology": "congestion level is an approximation: last 7 days' avg port calls vs 90-day baseline for the same port. Does not measure vessel wait/anchorage time."
}
},
"meta": {
"request_id": "b2829d0e-f5a9-4c8c-8151-e88bf09a2e02"
}
}

Field guide: what to read and how to use it

Focus on these fields for operational decisions about Jebel Ali:

Units and interpretation:

Global summary and metadata:

Python example: fetch AEJEA and act on the ratio

This Python snippet calls the same endpoint, checks the envelope, and extracts the congestion, ratio_vs_baseline, and as_of fields you will likely pipeline into your transportation logic.

import os
import requests
from datetime import datetime

API_KEY = os.getenv("FREIGHTPULSE_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")
URL = "https://freightpulsehq.com/api/v1/port-congestion?port=AEJEA"

headers = {
"X-API-Key": API_KEY
}

resp = requests.get(URL, headers=headers, timeout=20)
resp.raise_for_status()
payload = resp.json()

if not payload.get("success"):
raise RuntimeError("API response did not indicate success")

data = payload.get("data", {})
results = data.get("results", [])
if not results:
raise RuntimeError("No results returned for AEJEA")

record = results[0]

port_name = record.get("port")
locode = record.get("locode")
as_of_str = record.get("as_of")
congestion_level = record.get("congestion")
metrics = record.get("metrics", {})
ratio = metrics.get("ratio_vs_baseline")
recent = metrics.get("recent_avg_portcalls_per_day")
baseline = metrics.get("baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day")

# Parse as_of into a datetime.date (assumed UTC date)
as_of_date = datetime.strptime(as_of_str, "%Y-%m-%d").date()

print(f"Port: {port_name} ({locode})")
print(f"As of: {as_of_date} UTC (IMF PortWatch, ~6-7 day lag)")
print(f"Congestion: {congestion_level}")
print(f"7-day vs 90-day ratio: {ratio}")
print(f"7-day avg port calls/day: {recent}; 90-day baseline: {baseline}")

# Example: simple routing guardrails
# Treat ratio < 0.95 as below-baseline activity; 0.95-1.05 near baseline; > 1.05 above-baseline.
if ratio is not None:
if ratio > 1.05:
action = "Flag potential congestion; consider buffers in schedules."
elif ratio < 0.95:
action = "Below-baseline activity; normal scheduling likely OK."
else:
action = "Near baseline; monitor but keep standard buffers."
print(f"Action: {action}")

Operational details that save time

Update cadence and lag:

Caching strategy:

Rate limits and access:

Timezones and dates:

Error handling:

Pagination and filtering:

Transportation-specific usage patterns for Jebel Ali

Port scheduling and ETA buffers:

Routing and capacity signaling:

Exception management:

Validation: preventing misuse of the signal

Keep the following guardrails in code and UI copy to avoid misinterpretation:

Testing checklist before production

FAQ

Is this live AIS wait time data?
No. It is IMF PortWatch-derived, lagged ~6–7 days, based on 7-day average port calls vs a 90-day baseline. It does not measure vessel wait or anchorage time.

What is the correct way to authenticate?
Send your key in the header X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY. Guests without a key are limited to 100 requests per day per IP.

What fields should I store for Jebel Ali?
Store port, locode, as_of, congestion, and metrics.ratio_vs_baseline. Optionally keep recent_avg_portcalls_per_day and baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day for debugging and trend context.

How often should I refresh my data?
Daily is sufficient for most planners due to the ~6–7 day lag. Cache results for 12–24 hours and invalidate when as_of changes.

Can I use this to quote today’s freight rate or dwell time?
No. This endpoint does not include rates or dwell/wait times. Do not quote a freight-rates USD fare as today’s price based on this signal.

Ready to build this into your transportation workflow? Create an API key and start integrating Jebel Ali congestion in minutes: Register. For field-by-field references and additional options, see the Documentation.