Some 60 ships will make their call at the port of Rotterdam in the coming weeks now that the blockade in the Suez Canal has been lifted. Companies in and around the port are preparing to handle the incoming flow as best they can.
Dozens of ships arriving at least six days late. That doesn't happen often in the port of Rotterdam. From the second half of this week, the port expects six to eight extra seagoing ships a day, a veritable container wave. "But with the right preparation, we think we can handle this flow well," a spokesman for the Port of Rotterdam Authority told NOS. Importers and exporters are urged to make room by removing containers that are now there as soon as possible.
Shipping companies scrutinise existing routes. A big 'sudoku puzzle', describes Marco Tak, director of the Association of Rotterdam Shipbrokers. Tak examines in which ports there are berths free for ships to dock. There is not much room, as smaller barges also want to dock to collect the containers. "The important thing now is that the containers are removed from the terminals very quickly, so that there is space and the containers do not get stuck."
'Deliver containers outside peak times'
All parties in the chain must work together to handle the containers as quickly as possible, says industry association TLN. Hauliers are advised to contact their principals to extend the opening hours of warehouses and distribution centres, allowing container road transport to operate in the evening and night, instead of only between 6am and 6pm.
