Europe’s Port Bottlenecks Reappear as Shipping Alliances Reshuffle and Trade Flows Shift
Port congestion across northern Europe has intensified in recent weeks, with major hubs like Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg under mounting pressure from record yard utilisation, shifting global trade routes, and persistent inland transport constraints.
Despite this, headline vessel schedule reliability on Asia-Europe trades is showing unexpected improvement, exposing a growing disconnect between vessel punctuality and operational reality at congested terminals.
Recent changes in trade flows, including the diversion of Asian exports from the US to Europe following tariff changes, have fuelled a surge in container volumes, overwhelming quayside operations already strained by alliance reshuffles, labour shortages, and restricted river barge capacity. At several key terminals in Antwerp and Rotterdam, yard utilisation has reached or exceeded 90%, well above the 75% threshold typically associated with severe congestion.
Vessels are arriving on time more often, but the downstream consequences, including long dwell times, barge delays, and cargo bottlenecks, continue to cascade through the supply chain. In Antwerp, container ship discharge delays of up to five days are being reported, with downstream barge pick-ups delayed by as much as 66–77 hours due to missed vessel windows and overloaded terminals. Sort of the same happened in the beginning of the year.
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Much of the disruption is linked to macro-level shocks: shifting US tariff policies, drought-driven river level drops on the Rhine, and the structural realignment of global shipping alliances. The breakdown of the Maersk–MSC 2M alliance, in particular, has forced carriers to reconfigure vessel schedules and terminal usage, introducing short-term dislocation across the network.
At the same time, new data from Sea-Intelligence shows that 66.8% of vessels on the Asia–North Europe trade arrived on time in May, a significant improvement from April and a year-on-year increase of 18%. The Gemini Cooperation alliance recorded the best on-time performance, at 85.4%, while the Ocean and Premier alliances trailed at 68.8% and 35% respectively.
But improved schedule reliability has not yet translated into fluid port operations. Yard utilisation at many North European terminals remains critically high: Antwerp above 90%, and Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, and Hamburg in the 80–85% range. These utilisation levels are already generating systemic inefficiencies, with container moves slowing, rail and barge flows backing up, and ship-to-shore cycles lengthening. A full rail shutdown planned in Hamburg for early July is expected to worsen congestion even further.
Carriers Adjust Port Strategies Amid Capacity Constraints
Port omissions by carriers, a sign of operational strain, are down from the highs seen in February and March, falling from 13% to just 7% in May. Analysts suggest this may indicate that carriers are adjusting their expectations, choosing to maintain port calls despite delays, or omitting the worst-affected ports altogether until conditions improve.
Meanwhile, terminal operators are struggling to keep pace. Private lessees of quay space, such as ECT in Rotterdam, are accelerating recruitment and investing in new equipment, but many in the industry remain cautious about short-term improvement. Some regional feeder operators now spend a week shuttling containers between congested terminal, a task that would normally take just two to three days.
While some carriers are delivering improved vessel punctuality, the onshore reality remains fraught, with prolonged cargo delays, saturated terminals, and inland transport challenges undermining supply chain reliability. Without immediate capacity investments and smarter cargo flow coordination, relief may be months, or even years, away.
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