End-of-year interview with Ritra’s Martijn Berghout

22 December 2025

There are many developments underway, and on the horizon, in our industry. Think of congestion issues, the need to operate more sustainably, the potential normalisation of traffic through the Suez Canal, and the forthcoming goods-vehicle toll that everyone will be faced with from this summer onwards. Plenty of challenges, wouldn’t you agree? And yet, when you ask Martijn Berghout how things are going, his answer is: “business as usual”. After all, even unexpected developments and challenging situations are something you learn to deal with.

Introduction

Of course, successes are celebrated and past mistakes are evaluated. Together, they also take a critical look at what could have been done even better. But above all, Martijn and his team prefer to focus on the year ahead. Because 2026 will be a year marked by many logistical changes and challenges.

The goods-vehicle toll, customs legislation such as CBAM and EUDR, sustainable business practices: all of these are on the agenda for 2026. And those are only the developments we already know are coming. This will not only affect Team Ritra; a great deal of flexibility will also be required from our customers and other partners next year. That said, Martijn prefers to focus on what he can influence.

Challenges and new developments in 2026

Congestion and delays

“The day-to-day operations at terminals are disastrous. But my question is: haven’t we partly brought this upon ourselves? After all, we too continue to expect containers to be delivered promptly at 8 a.m., placing enormous pressure on both terminals and road carriers.

I also wonder what will happen once the Suez Canal reopens to regular traffic. What impact will that have, given that we are already facing so many constraints and delays? And that’s without even factoring in occasional strikes, such as the lashers’ strike we experienced last autumn.

I therefore foresee a growing demand for inland shipping, and consequently more pressure on that mode of transport as well. I am curious to see how this will develop in the future.

All of this has also contributed to our decision to join industry association Evofenedex next year. The time has come to strengthen our collective position and work with other parties to find solutions for the entire logistics chain.”

Cargo handling at Schiphol

“Due to external developments at and around the airport, cargo handling here has been delayed for quite some time. To keep the situation workable for drivers, our colleagues in Oude Meer, together with the dedicated carrier handling transport at and around Schiphol on our behalf, have set up a workaround. This speeds up the release process and helps reduce waiting times for drivers. Isn’t it great to see such an initiative emerge from combining the expertise of two parties?”

Announcement of surcharges

“These weeks, we are receiving daily emails announcing new surcharges: time-slot surcharges, increases in transport costs, and so on. This requires even greater engagement from both us and our customers. Given everything that is currently happening in road transport”—Martijn refers here to the long queues faced by drivers and the potential strike at the end of December—“the situation is becoming almost unsustainable.  Over the past year, Ritra very often absorbed the costs of (empty) re-routing to another terminal, also known as non-productive mileage (‘waste’). But we simply cannot continue like this much longer.”

Goods-vehicle toll

“The problem will not diminish after the introduction of the goods-vehicle toll on 1 July. Transport between two locations will then no longer have a single, straightforward rate. Road pricing is based on the number of kilometres per trip, but how do you account for costs incurred by pre-collecting a container that must be delivered early the following morning? Only time will tell.

What I can say is that Ritra is very much on top of this issue; we had our first discussions with carriers on this subject months ago.”

Sustainable and socially responsible business

The future is our focus. This includes awareness, a sustainable policy, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

What is your CO₂ footprint?

“At present, it is already possible to view the CO₂ emissions of a specific shipment in our TRACOS portal. Next year, in the context of the CSRD legislation, we intend to proactively offer choices in transport. In effect, you will be able to determine your own CO₂ emissions. I am also exploring the possibility of CO₂-neutral road transport. I believe it is essential to continue developing in this area and to guide this process properly, together with the team.”

Will you become a UNICEF Business Buddy too?

“I would also like to draw attention to our partnership with UNICEF. Through our participation in the Plastic Bricks project in Côte d’Ivoire, we support a wonderful long-term sustainable initiative that combines improvements in employment, sustainability, and education.

Together with a colleague, I attended a UNICEF-organised lunch in September, where we set ourselves a shared goal: to recruit a number of Business Buddies within our own network. I would be delighted if partners or customers were to join this organisation alongside us.

And I would like to offer something in return on behalf of Ritra. For every newly registered Buddy, Ritra Cargo will make a one-off payment covering the local costs of your next container shipment or air freight consignment. I hope this provides the final nudge to become a Buddy too!”

TEAM — in capital letters

In conclusion…

“With a strong, solid foundation and a hard-working, loyal team, there’s a lot you can take on. There were very few unexpected issues within Ritra over the past year, and that helps. But the way the team absorbs the impact when it really matters earns nothing but my respect and admiration. With so much expertise and experience around you—four colleagues will be celebrating their 25-year service anniversaries next year—you don’t quickly find yourself falling short in terms of service or knowledge.

Unfortunately, I see it happen more and more often elsewhere: you have a question or a problem, but you simply can’t get hold of anyone. I find that incredibly frustrating. I would hate to imagine us becoming unreachable.

We are also fortunate to have such loyal and understanding customers behind us. They often think along with us and are open to our suggestions. Only in this way, and with this level of trust, can you build and maintain fair, transparent, and sustainable relationships. That is what we believe in—and what we are good at.”

Team Ritra Cargo wishes you happy holidays and a successful 2026!