Northern Europe Logistics Crisis: Rotterdam and Antwerp Paralysed by Strikes – Businesses Must Act Now

Since early October, consecutive strikes at Port of Rotterdam and Port of Antwerp-Bruges have caused severe congestion, disrupting shipping schedules to and from Europe. Dozens of container vessels are currently waiting offshore, putting immense pressure on supply chains and driving up potential delays and costs.

Rotterdam: Container Handling at a Standstill

On 8 October, lashers at the Port of Rotterdam launched a strike over wage disputes, halting all container loading and unloading operations. Lashers play a critical role in vessel operations, and their absence has brought major terminals such as Maasvlakte II, Delta II, ECT and RWG to a stop. According to the FNV union, all employees from the two main lashing service providers joined the strike. Tugboats and pilots remain operational, but without lashers, containers cannot be secured or released. The strike, initially planned for 48 hours, has been temporarily suspended from 13 October for five days to allow negotiations to resume. If no new agreement is reached, the strike may resume after 17 October.

Image source: Reuters – A drone view of containers stacked at the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands

Antwerp-Bruges: Limited Pilot Hours Trigger Major Delays

Since 5 October, maritime pilots at Antwerp-Bruges have been staging a “work-to-rule” action to protest pension reforms, restricting operations to 08:00–17:00 daily. This has cut port handling capacity nearly in half — from an average of 60–80 vessels per day to just 31 on 7 October.

The backlog has quickly escalated, with more than 60 vessels waiting for berthing slots at Antwerp and Zeebrugge as of 9 October, intensifying pressure on port coordination.

Widespread Congestion Threatens Supply Chains

Data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence shows that the number of container vessels anchored off Northern Europe has increased fivefold in just a few days. Maersk has warned customers of major disruptions to port calls and vessel schedules at Rotterdam, Antwerp and Zeebrugge.

Beyond the strikes, factors such as low river levels, shipping alliance reshuffles and growing transport demand are further straining European supply chains.

Vantage Logistics: Flexible Delivery Solutions During EU Port Crisis

This wave of strikes and congestion poses a significant threat to time-sensitive cargo and contract-bound shipments. Vantage Logistics advises shippers and consignees to:

• Plan earlier to secure stable shipping slots.
• Consider alternative routes to reduce reliance on Northern European ports.
• Use Air Freight or multimodal solutions for urgent orders to maintain delivery commitments.

We stand ready to provide tailored routing options and agile shipment handling to support your EU supply chain during this disruption.

Contact Vantage Logistics today to discuss suitable routing and delivery strategies for your Europe-bound cargo.