Europe’s ports stay afloat amidst delay and congestion concerns

Container hub ports in Northern Europe seem to be handling the arrival of a group of ships from Asia well, despite delays from being rerouted around the African coast.

There were concerns about a recurrence of severe port and landside congestion, like what occurred for months after the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal for six days in 2021. However, it appears these fears have not materialised.

Hapag-Lloyd’s recent update on terminal operations in Northern Europe indicates that hub ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Southampton experienced a spike in yard utilisation levels last week, reaching between 85% and 90%, compared to around 55% in previous weeks. This increase reflects the arrival of delayed vessels.

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