Port congestion mostly on land, Rotterdam sees possible relief in rail

Ports in the northwest of Europe are dealing with heavy congestion. Shipping giants Maersk and CMA CGM even cancelled port calls in Rotterdam due to the persistent slowdowns. The causes are various, but both Rotterdam and Antwerp point to the same solution: a resilient (rail) infrastructure.
“It is still very busy at the container terminals, but the seaside situation is under control”, explains a representative of the Port of Rotterdam. “The number of large waiting container ships is very limited.” That is a considerable improvement since the beginning of the year. However, “on the landside of operations we are unfortunately still seeing longer waiting times than usual for transporters”, the representative adds.

Similarly, the Antwerp-Bruges port states that there is relatively little congestion for sea ships, although barges can still encounter problems. The primary issue, according to their Rotterdam counterparts, is with hinterland transport.

Despite the decline of rail’s share in the modal split, Rotterdam says that rail freight is still indispensable resolving those problems. Antwerp also points to “robust infrastructure”, but does not single out rail as a solution for congestion issues.

Ongoing improvements and a role for rail

“In order to continue transporting the increasing flow of containers to the hinterland in an efficient manner, the Port of Rotterdam, [Dutch infrastructure manager] ProRail, and the Ministry of Infrastructure are investing in sustainable and efficient rail development”, the Rotterdam port says. It hopes to achieve sufficient rail capacity, reliable infrastructure and affordable rail usage fees in the Netherlands.

In addition, the APMT and RWG terminals in Rotterdam are currently getting an expansion, which is set to nearly double container capacity. What’s more, a digitisation programme by the name of Rail Connected looks to improve efficiency, transparency, and cooperation in rail freight. It does so through standardised data exchanges between terminals, rail operators, and carriers.

Those steps will contribute to an increase in container handling capacity, but disruptions and volatility will remain. And for that reason, there is no predictable end date for the port congestion. “It is important to make maximum use of the existing port infrastructure to strike a balance between the seaside and the hinterland”, the Rotterdam port adds. It wants to be resilient and have the ability to deal with future disruptions – and rail can play a role in that.