PUBLISHER: The Load Star (www.theloadstar.com)
Congestion along Antwerp and Rotterdam’s inland waterways has surged to its highest peak in several years, leaving users stranded.
Wait times at Antwerp more than doubled over the past week, from 44 hours to 94, according to the latest figures from Contargo, while congestion at Rotterdam was up by more than 50%, to 128 hours.
Contargo failed to respond for requests for comment, but serious delays have become “part and parcel” of the environment, according to one source, for those operating along Northern Europe’s waterways for more than half a decade.
And while Rotterdam has experienced far more severe congestion than 128 hours in that period, it has been rare for both it and Antwerp to be hit at the same time.