Warning! This European port has started a strike, and all sea, land and air traffic are restricted! The docks are piled up like a mountain

Source: admin Time: 2022-11-10

It is understood that port workers at the Port of AntwerpThe strike will begin on November 9, from 6 a.m. (local time) to 6 a.m. the next morning.

According to Inchcape Shipping Services, Belgian unions are currently on strike, with the Socialist Union calling for a general strike, while Christian and liberal unions will organize protests including strikes, employee meetings and demonstrations.

As a result, much of Belgian public life will be shut down and restricted. According to local media reports, unions called for the strike because of rising energy prices.

Danish shipping company Maersk said in its latest customer advisory that during the announced one-day strike,The terminal will be closed to operations and no inland deliveries or pickups will be possible until the strike action ends.

The Port of Antwerp is expected to experience delays and operational difficulties as pilots, tugboats and other port personnel will take part in strike action.

Maersk said it is closely monitoring the situation and while the strike action is expected to pose challenges to operations, Maersk is also actively developing contingency plans to minimize supply chain delays.

During this period, Maersk will continue to focus on maintaining the flow of import and export goods and minimizing the impact on customers. To reduce delays, Maersk reminds customers to pick up imported goods as soon as possible.

In addition, train connections are likely to be disrupted, while airports will also be subject to restrictions, particularly Zaventem and Brussels-Charleroi.

In addition, the congestion situation at German ports in central Europe remains grim.

Due to a lack of drivers to transport containers and cars out of the port and a large amount of conventional trade, vehicles transported by sea and land from automakers such as Tesla (TSLA.US), Chrysler and Jeep owner Stellantis (STLA.US), BMW, Renault and Volvo are piling up at the Port of Bremerhaven in Germany. The resulting delays in the export business of automakers are very serious.

It is understood that Bremen Port is one of the world's largest automobile transportation hubs, and the normal operation of the port is currently at a standstill.

According to foreign media reports, the famous Norwegian shipowner Wallenius Wilhelmsen (a market leader in roll-on/roll-off transport and vehicle logistics) has rejected orders for export of cargo in October and November, and has even begun to not accept orders for December.

In addition, Andreas Braun, manager of sea freight for Europe, Africa and the Middle East at Crane Worldwide Logistics, said that the delays are very serious. The time to import cars from the United States and Mexico must be calculated in months. Even cars like BMW will be delayed by 3 months. It is difficult to install additional devices such as iDrive touch panels.

VesselsValue, a shipping big data and trade consulting company, pointed out that the Port of Bremen has informed operators that it cannot move imported cars due to a severe shortage of drivers to unload heavy cargo; in addition, military exercises have occupied a considerable amount of terminal space usually reserved for operators.

It is reported that Bremen Port is the fourth largest container port in Europe, with an annual throughput of more than 5 million TEU containers and more than 1.7 million vehicles transported each year. Data shows that its overall transport congestion level (excluding cars) is currently at a "medium" level.

At present, there are not enough car cargo carriers arriving at the port, which has caused the export waiting time to increase again.

Data showed that fewer orders for auto exports have helped speed up the processing of vehicles that have piled up at ports in recent months, but waiting times for cars to arrive are still on an upward trend.

In addition, in addition to the shortage of key labor, tight ship capacity has also exacerbated delays in transportation time at the port.

According to VesselsValue, the global shipping fleet is on average about 13 ships short of supply compared to December 2019.

VesselsValue's head of vehicle carrier said: "This is mainly due to excessive scrapping of ships in the first year of the outbreak. And the tight capacity is expected to continue until the delivery of new ships in 2024."

Although global supply chain pressures have fallen from their peak during the epidemic, they remain high, ships are operating at full capacity, and the growing demand for electric vehicles will put greater pressure on the supply chain.

In addition, in the UK, if no agreement is reached with the port management, employees at the Port of Liverpool will hold their fourth strike from November 14 to 21.

Finally, I would like to remind you that if you have cargo owners and freight forwarders shipping to Europe in the near future, please arrange your shipping plans reasonably to avoid losses due to delays.

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