Escalating port congestion strains container shipping flows

Maritime consultancy, Drewry says that port congestion across key Northern European hubs is intensifying, with Bremerhaven particularly affected by labour shortages during the recent holiday period. Compounding the situation, low water levels on the Rhine are limiting barge capacity, particularly out of Antwerp and Rotterdam—further straining inland logistics.

With our portfolio of international container shipping services, which include LCL and FCL import and export operations, that made interesting reading for the U-Freight Group.

Major gateways including Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven are now grappling with escalating backlogs, as containerships face mounting delays. At the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, operations were further strained by a nationwide strike on 20 May, which temporarily disrupted vessel traffic. Kallo and Boudewijn Locks were affected, with Boudewijn Lock later restored to full operation by the evening. Although the impact was short-lived, it added pressure to already congested conditions across the region.

The berth waiting times at Antwerp have risen from 32 hours in Week 13 to 44 hours in Week 20 – a 37% increase. Similarly, Hamburg has seen a 49% surge, with waiting times climbing from 34 to 50 hours, while Bremerhaven saw 77% increase, over the same period.

This growing congestion is having a cascading effect across the supply chain:

– Supply chain reliability is deteriorating;
– Logistics costs are rising;
– Inland transport is becoming increasingly complicated.

The issue isn’t limited to Europe. Similar patterns are emerging in Shenzhen, Los Angeles, and New York, where the number of containerships awaiting berth has been increasing since Week 17. Peak congestion figures show Shenzhen with up to 50 ships waiting, Los Angeles with 42, and New York with 14.

Port delays are stretching transit times, disrupting inventory planning, and pushing shippers to carry extra stock. Meanwhile, carriers are rerouting vessels and introducing congestion-related surcharges. For example, MSC will introduce a congestion surcharge from 1 June on all cargo moving from Northern Europe to the Far East, adding to rising shipping costs.

U-Freight’s ocean freight teams around the world are ready to assist anyone looking for some guidance and support as they try to negotiate the uncertainty that prevails in container shipping at present. They can be contacted via the following area of our website: https://ufreight.com/locations

For more general information about our ocean freight forwarding and logistics services, please visit the relevant pages of our website.