Port of Rotterdam partially reopened, unions and lashers in talks

As of Monday morning at 7:00 AM, the Port of Rotterdam has been temporarily reopened. This decision was made by the court in summary proceedings initiated by the business community and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, due to the societal impact of the strike. Operations will resume until Friday, October 17 at 3:15 PM. If no agreement is reached by then, the strike may resume.

On Sunday morning, lashing companies Matrans and ILS re-entered negotiations with the unions. Since the strike began on Wednesday, the number of waiting vessels has increased to 22, with 5 to 6 additional ships arriving daily. Diverting to Antwerp is not an option, as strikes are also taking place there by the pilotage service. Port stakeholders describe the ruling as “not ideal,” but see it as an opportunity to clear backlogs.

We continue to monitor the situation closely and are doing everything we can to minimize delays to your shipments. Do you have questions about a current or planned shipment? Please don’t hesitate to contact  us, we’re happy to think along with you.