Port congestion drives carriers to despair

22 December 2025

Due to extreme congestion and delays at terminals in the Port of Rotterdam area, road carriers are at their wits’ end. The N15 towards the Maasvlakte regularly features in traffic congestion alerts these days. Unless the situation improves quickly, a new strike is looming. At the same time, shipping companies are considering a return to the Suez Canal. In itself, a positive development, as it would cut reduce current transit times by around ten days. However, at terminal level, this faster turnaround is likely to result in even more congestion. To what extent can carriers adapt to these developments?

Traffic congestion towards the Maasvlakte

A driver’s waiting time can easily go up to six or seven hours per day, not including any traffic congestion from the A15 and further inland. Port operators, terminals and shipping companies are struggling to process the large influx of carriers and the enormous cargo volumes quickly enough. As a result, queues build up into long traffic jams along what is effectively an endless single-lane road.

What is particularly frustrating for drivers is that, with a bit of bad luck, they may find themselves stuck in these queues twice a day: once when collecting a full container, and again when returning the empty container. The distribution and time-slot surcharges imposed by terminals offer little relief. According to carriers, terminals also frequently fall short when it comes to providing information. The cause of delays is often unclear, making it difficult to consider alternative options.

Queues on the N15 towards the Maasvlakte Source: www.rijnmond.nl

Lack of improvements triggers threat of strike

Out of sheer frustration, more than 70 carriers have joined forces and issued an ultimatum to terminal operator ECT. They are demanding an improvement plan before Christmas and are threatening further action if this does not materialise. Possible measures include strikes and road blockades. Prior to this appeal, support had already been sought from the authorities, with a focus on fundamental changes such as reducing waiting times and improving road safety. Unfortunately, the desired results failed to materialise.

The letter submitted sets out several specific demands that carriers believe would help improve the handling of container transport in the short term. These include deploying additional capacity, restricting the acceptance of empty containers to improve throughput, and reducing transhipment cargo. While transhipment is an attractive source of revenue for terminals, it also consumes a significant amount of valuable time.

Likely return to the Suez Canal next year

A few months ago, several shipping companies already announced with some caution that they were considering using the Suez Canal again for services to and from Asia. It now appears that these plans may soon be put into action, particularly as the situation in the Red Sea is gradually improving.

The approximately ten days saved compared to the route around the Cape of Good Hope are, in this case, both a blessing and a curse.

If multiple container vessels begin transiting the Suez Canal again in quick succession, Rotterdam and other Northern European ports could soon come under severe pressure, as a shorter transit time inevitably means more container vessels arriving within a shorter period. We can only hope that shipping companies do not all opt for the fastest route at the same time.