b'12American Journal ofTransportation ajot.com(CONGESTIONcontinuedstarttoimprove,shereplied: from page 4) Whileitremainsdifficultto and pressure. This leads to short- pinpointanexacttimeline, termoperationalinefficiencies,portcongestioninEuropeis but our systems continue to func- expectedtoeasefollowingthe tion within the planned buffers. peakseason,likelybyAugust Ithasbeenongoingfor provided no major labor dis-months and is causing an almostruptions occur, and key market permanent strain on the logisticsdynamics begin to stabilize.chain. The port system is oper- However, at Antwerp there atingbutwithtightefficiencyisconcernthattheprotracted marginsandreducedplanningdisruptioncouldexertstruc-flexibility,especiallynowthattural pressures on the port in the severalterminalsarereachinglonger term.their capacity limits and are fullyIfbuffersdisappearand occupied. congestionpersists,moreseri-By contrast, its Dutch neigh- ous problems could arise. That bor appearedtoplaydowntheiswhyitisessentialthatwe vessel congestionperhaps ancontinue to invest in additional indication that the situation fluc- containercapacityandmore tuates significantly. robust infrastructure, so that we We did face several chal- cancontinuetoabsorbshocks lenges in the first quarter of theand grow as a global port in the ECT container crane at the Port of Rotterdam year,suchasthetransitiontofuture, the spokesperson said.newschedules,highcallrates, n ewi nvesTmenTthe introduction of new alliances, Interview with Hanna Stelzel, Director,strikes and adverse weather con- Despite the uncertain oper-ditions. But currently the delaysatingenvironmentatEuropean Containers, Port of Rotterdam are under control, a spokesper- ports, Dubai-owned DP World is sonfortheportofRotterdamforging ahead with its investment ThePortofRotterdamisEuropespremiergatewayandintermsoftheexplained to AJOT. drive in infrastructure develop-regions economic health, as President of the European Commission, UrsulaIf we take an example fromment. In May it announced plans von der Leyen said If the Port of Rotterdam is doing well, Europes economyearly-June,onelargecontainerto spend $1 billion at the London is doing well. vesselwaitedtwodaysbeforeGateway logistics hub to build entering the Dutch port and sixtwo new shipping berths and a others waited for one day or less.second rail terminal.By Stuart Todd, AJOT Its busy but under control. Theexpansionwillcreate At the end of May, Maersk400 new jobs and move the port The Port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, isrange, stretching from Hamburg, in Germany to Leannounced that due to the cur- closertobecomingtheUKs Europes leading port for container traffic. In 2024,Havre, in France, are expected to require an addi- rentoperationalconstraintsitsbiggest container port by the end throughput totaled 13.8 million TEUs, an increasetional 16 million TEU of capacity by 2035. trans-Atlantic TA5 service wouldof the decade, it said.of2.8%onthepreviousyear,justaheadofitsIncontrasttootherports,whichhavelim- no longer call in Rotterdam from neighborAntwerp-Bruges,inBelgium,whichitedexpansionopportunities,Rotterdamiswell- 25 June onwards, sailing insteadm iliTarym oBiliTy recorded 13.5 million TEUs (+8.1%). positioned to provide about half of this amount (8straight from Felixstowe, in theWhile European ports have On a daily basis the Port of Rotterdam, han- million TEUs) and play a crucial role in prevent- UK, to Hamburg. more than enough on their plates dles 75 vessels of all types, including box ships.ing future trade bottlenecks and ensuring a smoothin managing a prolonged period Rotterdams pivotal role in European commerce asand sustainable flow of trade to its hinterland andc ascadinge FFecTofoperationaldifficultiesand Europes premier maritime gateway for trade wasbeyond. Freightmarketanalysts,notreallyknowinghowlong underlined by the President of the European Com- AJOT:AwordonRotterdamsContainerDrewry Supply Chain Advisors,they will persist, other issues are mission, Ursula von der Leyen: If the Port of Rot- ExchangeRoute(CER)-a17-kilometreclosednoted that the likes of Antwerp,demandingattention,theobvi-terdam is doing well, Europes economy is doingroad network? RotterdamandHamburgandous one being decarbonization.well. HS: The CER is the largest, most advancedBremerhaven,inGermany,areAnother is military mobility, In an interview withAJOT, the ports Direc- container exchange system of its kind and connectsnowgrapplingwithescalatingwith an outline of the European tor of Containers, Hanna Stelzel, discussed the shipthe deep-sea container terminals on the Maasvlakte. backlogs, as containerships faceCommissions2025PortStrat-congestion which has affected European ports forItcomprisesdedicatedinfrastructureformounting delays.egy putting the accent on ports a good part of this year and the outlook for Rot- smartcontainerhandling.OntheCERtrackThisgrowingcongestionintegratingdefenselogistics terdams box traffic. autonomousvehiclestransportthecontainerstoishavingacascadingeffectintotheiractivitiestosupport She also commented to the ports initiativestheir destination, fast and efficiently, undisturbedacross the supply chain with reli- Europes security framework.withregardtodigitalization,de-carbonization,byothertraffic,resultinginbetterconnectivity,abilitydeteriorating,logisticsThis marks a significant shift automationandmulti-modality,whilehighlight- shorter port call turnaround times, more flexibilitycosts rising and inland transportinmaritimepolicybutwhatit ing Rotterdams position as a key gateway for theand lower exchange costs. Construction is under- becomingincreasinglycompli- adds up to exactly for European global fresh produce trade. way to link the CER to other terminals which willcated. There is also a possibilityports remains unclear. Neverthe-AJOT: How is Rotterdam coping with the shipbe completed in the near future. that a shortage of empty equip- less, they have been left to reflect congestion? AJOT: What steps is Rotterdam taking to digi- ment could arise in Europe as aon how they can adapt to a dual HS: Weve faced several challenges this year,tize its container traffic activity? result of a surge of demand in theroleencompassingtradeand including the transition to new sailing schedules,HS: Via our Port Community System, compa- trans-Pacificeastboundtrade,security, and where the funding high call sizes, the introduction of new alliances,nies benefit from intelligent services for efficientSeniorManager,HindChitty,to pay for it will come from.work stoppages and difficult weather conditions. andsimpleinformationexchange,bothamongtold AJOT in an interview dated The ports Maasvlakte cluster of containerthemselvesandwiththeoperatingauthority.Itearly-June. s TricTerc onTrols onterminalsarecurrently(11June)busy,buttheallows users to improve their logistics processes andDrewrys Container Capac- F oreigno wnershiP ?situationisundercontrol.Thenumberoflargealso strengthens the competitive position of the port. ity Insight tracker revealed thatAnother aspect of the secu-container vessels waiting to enter the port is veryIn collaboration with specialist providers, weberth waiting times at Antwerprity issue is the European Com-limited. We are seeing an improvement in the reli- havealsodevelopeddigitalsolutionstailoredtohad risen from 32 hours in Weekmissions concern that Chinese ability of sailing schedules and the time-at-berthspecificmodesoftransport:RailConnectedfor13 (31 March 2025) to 44 hoursfirmshavetooprominenta (of vessels) has decreased significantly since therail freight transport, Nextlogic, a planning tool forin Week 20 (19 May) - a 37%footprint across the blocs mari-beginning of the year. inland shipping and PortAlert, for optimizing ter- increase.Similarly,Hamburgtime gateways.AJOT:What impact has this congestion hadminal visits by truckeach contributing to efficienthas seen a 49% surge, with wait- AccordingtothePolitico on Rotterdams container traffic? handling at the port. ingtimesclimbingfrom34toEU news platform, large groups HS: So far, these challenging circumstancesAJOT:What specific initiatives has the port50hours,whileBremerhavensuchasCOSCOandChina havehadnorealimpactonourcontainertraf- engaged to de-carbonize its container traffic andsaw77%increase,overtheMerchants,aswellasHong fic. Were not expecting any major change in thepromote sustainability? same period from 13 hours to 23Kong-based Hutchison, a lead-volume throughput of containers in Q2 comparedHS: The port of Rotterdam is in the middle of ahours, she added. ing port investor, developer and to Q1 which is due to geopolitical tensions andtransition towards climate-neutrality with the aim ofProvisionaldataforWeekoperator,nowholdstakesin regional conflicts continuing to weigh on economicbecoming the most efficient and sustainable port in21 (26 May) showed berth timesmore than 30 terminals across activity, resulting in market uncertainty. the world by 2050. Dozens of sustainability projectsatBremerhavencontinuingtothe European Union.AJOT: What are the ports development plansare being worked on throughout the logistics chain,lengthen with a week over weekAtameetingwithindus-for container traffic in the coming years and whatsuch as the development of shore-based power forincrease of 32% to 30 hours. try representatives in May, EU targets have been set for TEU growth? container terminals, the use of alternative fuels, elec- Theissueisnotcon- Transport Commissioner, Apos-HS: With the ongoing expansion of the cur- trification of inland shipping and road transport andfined to Europe. Similar trendstolosTzitzikostas,saidthatit rent terminals on Maasvlakte 2 (operated by APMthe optimization of transport routes. haveunfoldedatkeyChinesewasimperativethatEuropes TerminalsandRotterdamWorldGateway),theAlso, the way seaport and inland port dues areports,particularlyinShanghai,portsreconsidersecurity planned re-development of Delta North (Omega),calculated has changed with a new method giving aNingbo, and Qingdao while con- andexamineforeignpresence the future development of the Euromax option andprominent place to sustainability and efficient load- gestionhasalsointensifiedinmore carefully.further optimization for efficiency and economiesing, in line with our ambitions. If a sea-going vesselthe U.S., especially at the portsA Defense White Paper has of scale, including deepening of the quays, no addi- scores high on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI),of Los Angeles and New York,alsofloatedtheideaofstricter tional sites are needed on the Maasvlakte for con- an international measure of its sustainability, thisChitty noted. controls on foreign ownership of tainer transhipment. may result in lower total seaport dues, in a similarAsked when operating con- (CONGESTIONcontinued Looking ahead, ports in the Northern Europe(INTERVIEWcontinued on page 42) ditions at European ports mighton page 42)'