Congestion in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp remains a challenge

The ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp have been struggling with congestion for some time, leading to increasing waiting times and putting logistics chains under pressure. The causes are diverse: adverse weather conditions, rerouting via the Red Sea, operational limitations, and strikes have slowed down the flow of operations. To avoid congestion, some shipping companies have even skipped Rotterdam in their services over the past period.

Delays occur not only in transit and at the quay but also when collecting containers, which poses additional challenges - especially when vessels discharge containers right before or during the weekend. To improve order and streamline operations, terminals have introduced time slots. However, in practice, there are insufficient slots available, making it difficult for carriers to efficiently coordinate their schedules.

The costs resulting from these issues can quickly escalate. Many carriers indicate that they can no longer bear the additional expenses themselves and are forced to extend these costs on to their customers.

At Berkman, we are continuously seeking suitable solutions to mitigate the impact of these challenges. One possible alternative is the transportation of containers via inland shipping (barge). Since containers are delivered directly to inland terminals, the current delays at the terminals and in road transport can be partially bypassed.