1. Worsening congestion and delays across Northern Europe

Ports across Northern Europe are facing unprecedented congestions levels, creating serious ripple effects across the logistics chain. The following hotspots in Europe are being severely impacted.

• Antwerp
  • Yard capacity of major terminals at 96%
  • Reefer plug usage at 112%
  • Nearly 50% of vessels experience berth waiting times

è Major carriers (e.g. CMA CGM) are diverting vessel calls and schedules to Zeebruges to mitiage the impact to their operations

• Bremerhaven
  • 30% of incoming ships delayed due to congestion

• Rotterdam, Felixstowe, London Gateway & Southampton
  • Carriers are cancelling calls to these ports due to terminal congestion

The above developments are leading to repeated amendments in carriers’ sailing schedules, resulting in frequent changes to booking confirmations. Consequently, container load planning requires ongoing  revision.

Experts, including Xeneta’s Chief Analyst Peter Sand, warn that this congestion could persist for another 3-4 months, primarily due to:

• Labour strikes in France and Belgium
• Poorly timed terminal maintenance
• A wave of record-high import from Asia this past winter
  • Large numbers of these empty containers remain present at the depots and terminals

2. Warehouse, coldstore & depot pressures escalate

• Depots in Antwerp and Rotterdam are facing long wait times (up to 6 hours) to retrieve empty containers due to a critical shortage of skilled labor.
• Trucking companies are starting to pass new surcharges at quays 869 and 913, compounding overall transport costs.
• The timeliness of empty container arrivals for live loads is becoming unsustainable due to excessive waiting times at depots and terminals. Without intervention, these delays cascade downstream to loading sites, which also face limited space and operational flexibility.

3. Surcharges and regulatory alerts

• DP World Antwerp (Quay 1700): €14 time slot surcharge in effect since 2024
• PSA Antwerp (Quays 869 & 913): €14 distribution surcharge for peak-hour moves from May 12, 2025
• Weight compliance now critical: Terminals now enforce strict alignment between declared and actual weights. Deviations at VGM submissions are penalized
  • Especially enforced in Le Havre, where terminals mandate VGM submission before gate-in of the container, effective June 2, 2025. No VGM = No access

4. Recommendations for Shippers

To protect your supply chain and minimize exposure to delays and costs

1. Use of inland terminals & barge transport

✅  Decouple inland transport from disruptions or changes in vessel schedules

1. Adopt pick-and-drop loading methods

✅  Mitigates delays at pick-up and drop-off points

✅  Increases operational flexibility

1. Enable night operations

✅  Bypass daytime congestion ßà subject to capability of warehouses and coldstores

1. Ensure weight accuracy at booking

✅  Avoid penalties and booking rejection by adhering to declared VGM values. 

5. Outlook: Summer bottlenecks ahead

Analysts from Linerlytica forecast continued disruption through summer 2025, even as carriers reallocate ships from the US to Europe and Med routes. With 200,000+ TEU of capacity now shifted toward Europe, pressure on terminal operations is likely to intensify further.

We will continue to monitor all developments closely and will provide you with frequent updates.

If you'd like assistance in adjusting your logistics strategy or optimizing inland options, our operations team is ready to support you.