diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1009617d..91883f22 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -153,6 +153,12 @@ This feature can be controlled via the following variables:
 * `WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT_URL` (enviornment variable)
   * Description: (24.0.0.4+) The URL to access during SCC population if WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT is true.
   * Default: `"localhost:9080/openapi"`
+* `PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS` (environment variable)
+  * Description: The timeout in seconds to wait for the Liberty server port to open (detected via message `CWWKO0219I` in the messages log) during SCC population before exiting populate_scc.
+  * Default: `"30"`
+* `MESSAGES_LOG_FILE` (environment variable)
+  * Description: The path to the Liberty server messages log file to check for port open during SCC population.
+  * Default: `"/logs/messages.log"`
 
 ## Logging
 
diff --git a/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/configure.sh b/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/configure.sh
index ddacb7cd..af7716dc 100755
--- a/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/configure.sh
+++ b/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/configure.sh
@@ -198,6 +198,12 @@ function main() {
     if [ ! "$WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT_URL" = "" ]; then
       cmd+=" -o $WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT_URL"
     fi
+    if [ ! "$PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS" = "" ]; then
+      cmd+=" -r $PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS"
+    fi
+    if [ ! "$MESSAGES_LOG_FILE" = "" ]; then
+      cmd+=" -f $MESSAGES_LOG_FILE"
+    fi
     eval $cmd
   fi
 }
diff --git a/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/populate_scc.sh b/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/populate_scc.sh
index a74c52a9..058adef2 100755
--- a/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/populate_scc.sh
+++ b/ga/latest/kernel/helpers/build/populate_scc.sh
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ WARM_ENDPOINT=true
 WARM_ENDPOINT_URL=localhost:9080/
 WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT=true
 WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT_URL=localhost:9080/openapi
+PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=${PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS:-30} # Default timeout in seconds to wait for port to open.
+MESSAGES_LOG_FILE=${MESSAGES_LOG_FILE:-/logs/messages.log} # Default log file location to check for port open.
 
 # If this directory exists and has at least ug=rwx permissions, assume the base image includes an SCC called 'openj9_system_scc' and build on it.
 # If not, build on our own SCC.
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ CREATE_LAYER="$OPENJ9_JAVA_OPTIONS,createLayer,groupAccess"
 DESTROY_LAYER="$OPENJ9_JAVA_OPTIONS,destroy"
 PRINT_LAYER_STATS="$OPENJ9_JAVA_OPTIONS,printTopLayerStats"
 
-while getopts ":i:s:u:o:tdhwcml" OPT
+while getopts ":i:s:u:o:r:f:tdhwcml" OPT
 do
   case "$OPT" in
     i)
@@ -97,9 +99,15 @@ do
     o)
       WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT_URL="${OPTARG}"
       ;;
+    r)
+      PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS="${OPTARG}"
+      ;;
+    f)
+      MESSAGES_LOG_FILE="${OPTARG}"
+      ;;
     h)
       echo \
-"Usage: $0 [-i iterations] [-s size] [-t] [-d] [-w] [-c] [-u url] [-m] [-l] [-o url]
+"Usage: $0 [-i iterations] [-s size] [-t] [-d] [-w] [-c] [-u url] [-m] [-l] [-o url] [-r timeout_seconds] [-f log_file]
   -i <iterations> Number of iterations to run to populate the SCC. (Default: $ITERATIONS)
   -s <size>       Size of the SCC in megabytes (m suffix required). (Default: $SCC_SIZE)
   -t              Trim the SCC to eliminate most of the free space, if any.
@@ -110,6 +118,8 @@ do
   -m              Use curl/wget to warm the openapi endpoint during SCC creation. (Default: $WARM_OPENAPI_ENDPOINT)
   -l              Do not warm the openapi endpoint during SCC creation.
   -o              The Open API URL endpoint to warm during SCC creation. (Default: $WARM_ENDPOINT_OPENAPI_URL)
+  -r              Timeout in seconds to wait for port to open. (Default: $PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS)
+  -f              Log file location to check for port open. (Default: $MESSAGES_LOG_FILE)
 
   Trimming enabled=$TRIM_SCC"
       exit 1
@@ -128,6 +138,23 @@ done
 OLD_UMASK=`umask`
 umask 002 # 002 is required to provide group rw permission to the cache when `-Xshareclasses:groupAccess` options is used
 
+wait_for_port_open() {
+  local log_file="${MESSAGES_LOG_FILE}"
+  local timeout=${PORT_OPEN_TIMEOUT_SECONDS}
+  local count=0
+
+  while [ $count -lt $timeout ]; do
+    if [ -f "$log_file" ] && grep -q "CWWKO0219I" "$log_file"; then
+      return 0
+    fi
+    sleep 1
+    count=$((count + 1))
+  done
+
+  echo "Exiting populate_scc because port didn't open after $timeout seconds (CWWKO0219I not found in $log_file)."
+  exit 0
+}
+
 # Explicity create a class cache layer for this image layer here rather than allowing
 # `server start` to do it, which will lead to problems because multiple JVMs will be started.
 java $CREATE_LAYER -Xscmx$SCC_SIZE -version
@@ -136,7 +163,9 @@ if [ $TRIM_SCC == yes ]
 then
   echo "Calculating SCC layer upper bound, starting with initial size $SCC_SIZE."
   # Populate the newly created class cache layer.
+  rm -f "$MESSAGES_LOG_FILE"
   /opt/ibm/wlp/bin/server start
+  wait_for_port_open
 
   if [ ${WARM_ENDPOINT} == true ]
   then
@@ -171,7 +200,9 @@ fi
 # Server start/stop to populate the /output/workarea and make subsequent server starts faster.
 for ((i=0; i<$ITERATIONS; i++))
 do
+  rm -f "$MESSAGES_LOG_FILE"
   /opt/ibm/wlp/bin/server start
+  wait_for_port_open
 
   if [ ${WARM_ENDPOINT} == true ]
   then