<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">North American intermodal volumes plummeted as U.S. West Coast port congestion came to a head last week before union and waterfront officials at last brokered a deal Friday evening.</div>

North American intermodal volumes plummeted as U.S. West Coast port congestion came to a head last week before union and waterfront officials at last brokered a deal Friday evening.

<div>North American intermodal volumes plummeted as U.S. West Coast port congestion came to a head last week before union and waterfront officials at last brokered a deal Friday evening.Intermodal traffic on U.S., Canadian and Mexican rail networks dropped 32,049 units last week, down 13.3 percent year-over-year, according to the Association of American Railroads. In the U.S. alone, weekly intermodal volume dropped to 213,617 units, down 15.7 percent year-over-year.The numbers mirror projections U.S. railways have made as they continue to face challenges moving goods to and from U.S. Pacific coast ports during the nine-month-long labor dispute between the International Longshore and...

North American intermodal volumes plummeted as U.S. West Coast port congestion came to a head last week before union and waterfront officials at last brokered a deal Friday evening. Intermodal traffic on U.S., Canadian and Mexican rail networks dropped 32,049 units last week, down 13.3 percent year-over-year, according to the Association of American Railroads. In the U.S. alone, weekly intermodal volume dropped to 213,617 units, down 15.7 percent year-over-year. The numbers mirror projections U.S. railways have made as they continue to face challenges moving goods to and from U.S. Pacific coast ports during the nine-month-long labor dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and waterfront employers. The standoff hammered intermodal volumes in its final days last week before both sides agreed to a settlement Friday under pressure from Labor Secretary Tom Perez who had been sent by President Obama to obtain an agreement. Even in the aftermath of a settlement, though, industry experts agree it will take months for Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma — all among the 10 largest ports in the U.S. — to return to “normal” operations. With marine terminals easing back into productivity, Western railroads Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF said they are taking steps to handle an expected increase in international intermodal traffic after cutting back on service during the worst of West Coast congestion. UP has deployed additional locomotives, railcars and train crews, and in coming weeks will “provide unit trains for high-density terminals to improve turn times, and facilitate higher train counts and longer trains,” spokesman Elizabeth Hutchison said earlier this week. BNSF Railway said it will undo westbound container restrictions that have been place at some ports to match the increased production capabilities of corresponding marine terminals, spokesman Amy Casas told JOC.com. Because of the large cargo backlog for cargo headed in both directions, “changes are not expected to be sudden or large scale,” she said. Congestion resulted in “year-over-year reductions in BNSF’s eastbound train counts as much as 20 to 30 trains a week carrying a minimum of 250 containers that are not being processed through the supply chain," Katie Farmer, the railroad’s group vice president of consumer products, told a Senate Commerce subcommittee on Feb. 10. UP told investors during its fourth-quarter earnings call on Jan. 24 that it also lost international volume because of port congestion. For some time it has appeared that U.S. rail’s loss was Canada’s gain . But the latest numbers show signs that even Canadian intermodal volumes have taken a hit. As terminal shutdowns and alleged union work slowdowns in the midst of the drawn-out negotiations left ships waiting to berth at U.S. ports for weeks on end, many vessels were eventually diverted to ports further north. But even the Canadian rail networks, embroiled in their own union contract disputes in recent weeks, saw volumes drop last week. At 50,580, intermodal, volumes were down 4.7 percent year-over-year on Canadian rail. This just days after weekly intermodal traffic appeared to be on the rise, increasing steadily through the first four weeks of the year and jumping 7.6 percent, or some 4,200 units, in the second week of February. Mexican weekly intermodal volumes were down too, dropping 1.9 percent year-over-year. Contact Reynolds Hutchins at rhutchins@joc.com and follow him on Twitter: @Hutchins_JOC .

North-American rail

North American intermodal volumes plummet in runup to West Coast settlement

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The latest in a series of extreme winter storms is blowing through the region, this one in southwestern Europe that is suspending terminal operations and halting ferry traffic. </div>

The latest in a series of extreme winter storms is blowing through the region, this one in southwestern Europe that is suspending terminal operations and halting ferry traffic.

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<div class="phx-topic">Gale force winds and heavy seas across southwestern Europe have forced container terminals in the West Mediterranean hubs of Tanger-Med and Algeciras to suspend operations. A severe Atlantic storm hit the region earlier this week and is expected to intensify in the coming days and move northwards, with gale warnings issued in the Bay of Biscay and the UK. “Terminals in the West Mediterranean have stopped operations with no clear indication of when operations can start again,” Maersk told customers in an advisory Wednesday, warning that weather conditions are expected to worsen. “This situation is affecting the entire industry, and due to the severity and uncertainty of the conditions, we expect delays and closures to continue to impact vessels and terminals across the board,” the carrier added. Waves of up to seven meters on the Atlantic coast and in the Strait of Gibraltar have also halted all ferry traffic between Tangier and southern Spain, with logistics providers reporting a significant buildup of cargo trucks at the Spanish hub of Algeciras. <h3>Weather disruptions in Northern Europe </h3>Europe has been battered by a series of severe winter storms in January, with extreme weather conditions also <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/severe-winter-storm-disrupts-north-europe-port-inland-operations-6148334">disrupting terminal operations at Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp</a>. Kuehne + Nagel’s visibility platform SeaExplorer is reporting “heavily disrupted operations” at Hamburg, with trucks backed up at the CTA and CTB terminals. SeaExplorer said low temperatures are forecast for the rest of this week, and current transport conditions are expected to remain. Freezing temperatures, snow and ice are also impacting terminal and landside operations at Maersk’s Polish hub of Gdansk. ”Frozen equipment, together with snow and ice on the roads and railways, are restricting the delivery and collection of cargo,” Maersk said in a separate customer advisory Wednesday. “Truck slots are fully booked, and trains are being delayed or canceled,” the carrier said. “Waterside cargo operations are limited, with reduced container moves per hour due to heavy snowfall and frozen equipment.” Contact Greg Knowler at <a href="">greg.knowler@spglobal.com</a>. </div>

Gale force winds and heavy seas across southwestern Europe have forced container terminals in the West Mediterranean hubs of Tanger-Med and Algeciras to suspend operations. A severe Atlantic storm hit the region earlier this week and is expected to intensify in the coming days and move northwards, with gale warnings issued in the Bay of Biscay and the UK. “Terminals in the West Mediterranean have stopped operations with no clear indication of when operations can start again,” Maersk told customers in an advisory Wednesday, warning that weather conditions are expected to worsen. “This situation is affecting the entire industry, and due to the severity and uncertainty of the conditions, we expect delays and closures to continue to impact vessels and terminals across the board,” the carrier added. Waves of up to seven meters on the Atlantic coast and in the Strait of Gibraltar have also halted all ferry traffic between Tangier and southern Spain, with logistics providers reporting a significant buildup of cargo trucks at the Spanish hub of Algeciras. Weather disruptions in Northern Europe Europe has been battered by a series of severe winter storms in January, with extreme weather conditions also disrupting terminal operations at Hamburg, Rotterdam and Antwerp . Kuehne + Nagel’s visibility platform SeaExplorer is reporting “heavily disrupted operations” at Hamburg, with trucks backed up at the CTA and CTB terminals. SeaExplorer said low temperatures are forecast for the rest of this week, and current transport conditions are expected to remain. Freezing temperatures, snow and ice are also impacting terminal and landside operations at Maersk’s Polish hub of Gdansk. ”Frozen equipment, together with snow and ice on the roads and railways, are restricting the delivery and collection of cargo,” Maersk said in a separate customer advisory Wednesday. “Truck slots are fully booked, and trains are being delayed or canceled,” the carrier said. “Waterside cargo operations are limited, with reduced container moves per hour due to heavy snowfall and frozen equipment.” Contact Greg Knowler at  greg.knowler@spglobal.com . 

Container lines

Asia-Europe

International ports

Maritime

New Atlantic storm shuts West Mediterranean container hubs

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The latest orders increase Evergreen’s capacity backlog to 926,000 TEUs, boosting the carrier’s total capacity on the water and on order to almost 2.85 million TEUs and making it the world’s fifth-largest container line.</div>

The latest orders increase Evergreen’s capacity backlog to 926,000 TEUs, boosting the carrier’s total capacity on the water and on order to almost 2.85 million TEUs and making it the world’s fifth-largest container line.

<div class="phx-topic">Taiwan's Evergreen Marine is continuing to lock in new tonnage after approving a pair of shipbuilding orders with two Chinese shipyards worth up to almost $1.5 billion for 23 vessels. Both contracts were approved by Evergreen directors at a meeting Tuesday. The larger of the two deals was placed with CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for 16 3,100-TEU container ships. Evergreen said the order is worth between $736 million and $896 million. The second contract, valued at between $469 million and $574 million, is for seven 5,900-TEU ships that will be constructed by Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding. Evergreen did not specify the fuel type the ships would use, when they would be delivered or where they would be deployed. Shipbrokers, though, said the ships are likely to join the Evergreen fleet in 2028 and 2029. The carrier <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/evergreen-to-expand-latin-america-middle-east-services-6087379">said in September</a> that it would deploy 3,000-TEU capacity ships on Caribbean services by 2030. <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="b329b55b-f24b-4c28-90ae-63ad99a09181"></dynamic-object></div>The new deals approved Tuesday follow contracts <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/evergreen-says-will-spend-almost-3-billion-on-14-new-lng-fueled-ships-6114739">Evergreen inked in November</a> worth almost $3 billion for 14 14,000-TEU LNG-powered container ships. The latest orders increase Evergreen’s capacity backlog to 926,000 TEUs, boosting the carrier’s total capacity on the water and on order to almost 2.85 million TEUs and making it the world’s fifth-largest container line, according to data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&amp;P Global. Evergreen is still some way behind fourth-placed Cosco Shipping Holdings, which has a total capacity comprising ships in service and on order by Cosco Shipping and its Hong Kong affiliate OOCL of 4.2 million TEUs. The latest Evergreen orders also boost the total container ship orderbook to 1,275 ships totaling 11.5 million TEUs, equivalent to more than 34% of the existing fleet, to be delivered between 2026 and 2030, according to the latest data from British shipbroker Clarksons. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="mailto:keithwallis@hotmail.com">keithwallis@hotmail.com.</a></div>

Taiwan's Evergreen Marine is continuing to lock in new tonnage after approving a pair of shipbuilding orders with two Chinese shipyards worth up to almost $1.5 billion for 23 vessels. Both contracts were approved by Evergreen directors at a meeting Tuesday. The larger of the two deals was placed with CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding for 16 3,100-TEU container ships. Evergreen said the order is worth between $736 million and $896 million. The second contract, valued at between $469 million and $574 million, is for seven 5,900-TEU ships that will be constructed by Jiangsu New Yangzi Shipbuilding. Evergreen did not specify the fuel type the ships would use, when they would be delivered or where they would be deployed. Shipbrokers, though, said the ships are likely to join the Evergreen fleet in 2028 and 2029. The carrier said in September that it would deploy 3,000-TEU capacity ships on Caribbean services by 2030. The new deals approved Tuesday follow contracts Evergreen inked in November worth almost $3 billion for 14 14,000-TEU LNG-powered container ships. The latest orders increase Evergreen’s capacity backlog to 926,000 TEUs, boosting the carrier’s total capacity on the water and on order to almost 2.85 million TEUs and making it the world’s fifth-largest container line, according to data from Sea-web, a sister company of the Journal of Commerce within S&P Global. Evergreen is still some way behind fourth-placed Cosco Shipping Holdings, which has a total capacity comprising ships in service and on order by Cosco Shipping and its Hong Kong affiliate OOCL of 4.2 million TEUs. The latest Evergreen orders also boost the total container ship orderbook to 1,275 ships totaling 11.5 million TEUs, equivalent to more than 34% of the existing fleet, to be delivered between 2026 and 2030, according to the latest data from British shipbroker Clarksons. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com.

Container Shipping News

Evergreen adds to order backlog with deals for 23 ships worth up to almost $1.5 billion

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The logistics payments vendor has partnered with fellow software provider Gnosis Freight to enable payments at other stages of a containerized shipment lifecycle.</div>

The logistics payments vendor has partnered with fellow software provider Gnosis Freight to enable payments at other stages of a containerized shipment lifecycle.

<div class="phx-topic">Logistics payment software vendor PayCargo on Wednesday said it is broadening its reach to underpin a wider range of international transportation transactions. The company has traditionally focused on facilitating payments tied to cargo release from third-party logistics companies to ocean carriers, first as a pure payments transaction portal and then by established direct feeds with customers and shipping lines. The expansion announced Wednesday will see PayCargo enable payments in adjacent transactions, particularly around storage fees that accrue at various points in the lifecycle of a containerized shipment. PayCargo CEO Eduardo Del Riego told the Journal of Commerce the new capability has been co-developed with fellow software vendor Gnosis Freight, whose container lifecycle management product is primarily aimed at beneficial cargo owners (BCOs). The two companies had worked in partnership over the last year in co-developing a payment portal for Hapag-Lloyd that the shipping line’s customers could use to pay invoices. The two will now co-sell the ability to use PayCargo’s extended payment capabilities to their respective customer bases: PayCargo to the 40,000 regular logistics service provider users of its platform, and Gnosis to its BCO customers. “It’s an opportunity for us to execute additional payments,” Del Riego said. <h3>Goal is to ‘go global’ </h3>The extended product also introduces accounts payable automation designed to let PayCargo’s customers manage more payments without increasing headcount. The automation pulls accrued amounts from the payer’s systems and matches it with the prospective invoiced amount from the shipping line or other payee, with the intent to eliminate errors before an invoice is issued. The AP automation was built as PayCargo realized it “had to bring something other than payment” to scale the business, Del Riego said. “The goal is broader relationships with existing customers and to go global.” He said 90% of PayCargo’s business is North America-based, but the company has designs on growing in Europe and Asia, with a 30-member team based out of Madrid to provide 24-hour customer service. The Hapag-Lloyd portal, meanwhile, is being rolled out globally, and Del Riego said “the goal is to have more customers like that. We follow where our customers want us to be.” Contact Eric Johnson at <a href="mailto:eric.johnson@spglobal.com">eric.johnson@spglobal.com.</a></div>

Logistics payment software vendor PayCargo on Wednesday said it is broadening its reach to underpin a wider range of international transportation transactions. The company has traditionally focused on facilitating payments tied to cargo release from third-party logistics companies to ocean carriers, first as a pure payments transaction portal and then by established direct feeds with customers and shipping lines. The expansion announced Wednesday will see PayCargo enable payments in adjacent transactions, particularly around storage fees that accrue at various points in the lifecycle of a containerized shipment. PayCargo CEO Eduardo Del Riego told the Journal of Commerce the new capability has been co-developed with fellow software vendor Gnosis Freight, whose container lifecycle management product is primarily aimed at beneficial cargo owners (BCOs). The two companies had worked in partnership over the last year in co-developing a payment portal for Hapag-Lloyd that the shipping line’s customers could use to pay invoices. The two will now co-sell the ability to use PayCargo’s extended payment capabilities to their respective customer bases: PayCargo to the 40,000 regular logistics service provider users of its platform, and Gnosis to its BCO customers. “It’s an opportunity for us to execute additional payments,” Del Riego said. Goal is to ‘go global’ The extended product also introduces accounts payable automation designed to let PayCargo’s customers manage more payments without increasing headcount. The automation pulls accrued amounts from the payer’s systems and matches it with the prospective invoiced amount from the shipping line or other payee, with the intent to eliminate errors before an invoice is issued. The AP automation was built as PayCargo realized it “had to bring something other than payment” to scale the business, Del Riego said. “The goal is broader relationships with existing customers and to go global.” He said 90% of PayCargo’s business is North America-based, but the company has designs on growing in Europe and Asia, with a 30-member team based out of Madrid to provide 24-hour customer service. The Hapag-Lloyd portal, meanwhile, is being rolled out globally, and Del Riego said “the goal is to have more customers like that. We follow where our customers want us to be.” Contact Eric Johnson at eric.johnson@spglobal.com.

Logistics Technology News

Supply chain

PayCargo expanding footprint beyond ocean freight cargo release

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The Metro Express Terminal at Pier S will serve smaller, independent container lines on the trans-Pacific that carry e-commerce merchandise requiring rapid movement once onshore.</div>

The Metro Express Terminal at Pier S will serve smaller, independent container lines on the trans-Pacific that carry e-commerce merchandise requiring rapid movement once onshore.

<div class="phx-topic">The new zero-emission container terminal planned for Pier S at the Port of Long Beach will be built to attract independent carriers operating express services geared for the trans-Pacific e-commerce market, according to developers of the project. <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/long-beach-considering-development-of-conventional-zero-emissions-terminal-ceo-6153068">The Metro Express Terminal at Pier S</a> is likely to pull in smaller container lines that operate vessels of 9,000-TEU capacity or less making faster turn-times than the mainline trans-Pacific carriers operating vessels of 15,000-TEU-plus capacity, said Peter Stone, senior vice president/strategic projects at Brookfield Properties. Express services carrying e-commerce merchandise require rapid movement of containers through marine terminals once they are discharged from vessels. “The nature of express services is not that the ships go faster. It’s that they get in and out of the terminal faster,” Stone told the Journal of Commerce Monday. The Pier S terminal will be designed for “regular” e-commerce merchandise that is sold online and shipped by retailers. The e-commerce market that will be served by Pier S is shipped in ocean containers under a speed-to-market model. “The carriers and [third-party logistics] companies we talked to are asking for this type of product,” Stone said. “They want a fast transfer from ship to warehouse.” Metro Express will not be adversely affected by the US eliminating the de minimis exemption on low-value and e-commerce imports, Stone said, because the goods that enjoyed the duty-free exemption — those valued at under $800 — were never shipped in ocean containers. All efforts now by the port and its partners in the Pier S project are geared toward finalizing the business deal and getting the necessary environmental approvals, said Noel Hacegaba, CEO of the Port of Long Beach. “Our next steps include finalizing the negotiation of the preferred assignment agreement, along with design, environmental review and outreach to our many stakeholders, including labor, community members and industry partners,” Hacegaba told the Journal of Commerce. <h3>Short timeline anticipated </h3>Stone said he does not have an answer yet as to how long it will take to finalize the business deals and secure the necessary environmental approvals, but he anticipates it will be rather seamless. The partners will build a conventional marine terminal, ship-to-shore cranes will be electric, and cargo-handling equipment will be zero-emission and manually operated by longshoremen. “This terminal is a very straightforward project and ready for construction,” he said. Hacegaba said Pier S is used now by other terminals for container peel-offs and temporary container storage. “No structures will need to be removed prior to construction,” he said. Given those conditions, once construction begins on the Metro Express Terminal, it should only take three to five years to complete, Stone said. Pier S will utilize about 105 acres of the 160-acre site, and the terminal will have an annual capacity of 1.8 million TEUs, he said. The eventual price tag, Stone added, will be known after the business negotiations are completed. There will be no need for on-dock rail on the terminal because containers will be moved by truck to local warehouses or off-dock transload facilities, said Bob Owens, CEO of Nautilus International Holding Corp., which is partnering with Brookfield on the project. Nautilus provides business administration, management, and strategic oversight for marine transportation companies. Plans are to operate Pier S around the clock in order to better utilize the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) workforce. That will reduce container dwell times on the terminal, which in turn will enable the workforce to achieve container crane productivity that rivals terminals along the US Southeast coast, Owens said, adding it all fits in with what the e-commerce business model is built on. “The market is already there,” he said. “We’re just looking to serve that market.” Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at <a href="mailto:bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com">bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com</a>.</div>

The new zero-emission container terminal planned for Pier S at the Port of Long Beach will be built to attract independent carriers operating express services geared for the trans-Pacific e-commerce market, according to developers of the project. The Metro Express Terminal at Pier S is likely to pull in smaller container lines that operate vessels of 9,000-TEU capacity or less making faster turn-times than the mainline trans-Pacific carriers operating vessels of 15,000-TEU-plus capacity, said Peter Stone, senior vice president/strategic projects at Brookfield Properties. Express services carrying e-commerce merchandise require rapid movement of containers through marine terminals once they are discharged from vessels. “The nature of express services is not that the ships go faster. It’s that they get in and out of the terminal faster,” Stone told the Journal of Commerce Monday. The Pier S terminal will be designed for “regular” e-commerce merchandise that is sold online and shipped by retailers. The e-commerce market that will be served by Pier S is shipped in ocean containers under a speed-to-market model. “The carriers and [third-party logistics] companies we talked to are asking for this type of product,” Stone said. “They want a fast transfer from ship to warehouse.” Metro Express will not be adversely affected by the US eliminating the de minimis exemption on low-value and e-commerce imports, Stone said, because the goods that enjoyed the duty-free exemption — those valued at under $800 — were never shipped in ocean containers. All efforts now by the port and its partners in the Pier S project are geared toward finalizing the business deal and getting the necessary environmental approvals, said Noel Hacegaba, CEO of the Port of Long Beach. “Our next steps include finalizing the negotiation of the preferred assignment agreement, along with design, environmental review and outreach to our many stakeholders, including labor, community members and industry partners,” Hacegaba told the Journal of Commerce. Short timeline anticipated Stone said he does not have an answer yet as to how long it will take to finalize the business deals and secure the necessary environmental approvals, but he anticipates it will be rather seamless. The partners will build a conventional marine terminal, ship-to-shore cranes will be electric, and cargo-handling equipment will be zero-emission and manually operated by longshoremen. “This terminal is a very straightforward project and ready for construction,” he said. Hacegaba said Pier S is used now by other terminals for container peel-offs and temporary container storage. “No structures will need to be removed prior to construction,” he said. Given those conditions, once construction begins on the Metro Express Terminal, it should only take three to five years to complete, Stone said. Pier S will utilize about 105 acres of the 160-acre site, and the terminal will have an annual capacity of 1.8 million TEUs, he said. The eventual price tag, Stone added, will be known after the business negotiations are completed. There will be no need for on-dock rail on the terminal because containers will be moved by truck to local warehouses or off-dock transload facilities, said Bob Owens, CEO of Nautilus International Holding Corp., which is partnering with Brookfield on the project. Nautilus provides business administration, management, and strategic oversight for marine transportation companies. Plans are to operate Pier S around the clock in order to better utilize the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) workforce. That will reduce container dwell times on the terminal, which in turn will enable the workforce to achieve container crane productivity that rivals terminals along the US Southeast coast, Owens said, adding it all fits in with what the e-commerce business model is built on. “The market is already there,” he said. “We’re just looking to serve that market.” Contact Bill Mongelluzzo at bill.mongelluzzo@spglobal.com .

Port News

Trans-Pacific

North American ports

Marine terminals

New terminal planned for Long Beach designed to attract e-commerce business

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">The port’s CEO said Antwerp experienced about 25 days of industrial action last year that resulted in the loss of 2.4 million metric tons of cargo, equivalent to 1% of its annual throughput.</div>

The port’s CEO said Antwerp experienced about 25 days of industrial action last year that resulted in the loss of 2.4 million metric tons of cargo, equivalent to 1% of its annual throughput.

<div class="phx-topic">Labor woes and congestion in 2025 cost the Port of Antwerp-Bruges both cargo volumes and market share, the head of the Belgian port complex said Tuesday. Port CEO Jacques Vandermeiren said Antwerp experienced about 25 days of industrial action last year that resulted in the loss of 2.4 million metric tons of cargo, equivalent to 1% of its annual throughput, as carriers switched to alternative ports. That left container throughput for the year virtually flat, growing just 0.7% to 13.6 million TEUs. Vandermeiren pointed out that delays on the inland transport network, especially rail, were even longer, without giving a figure. “Carriers prefer to go to other ports instead of waiting,” Vandermeiren said during an online results briefing, adding he was unsure if the loss of services and port calls is permanent or temporary. “Twenty-five days is a lot. In my opinion, [a] once in a lifetime [event]. But not a second time.” <div class="wrapper-narrow"><dynamic-object type="jocchartid" resource-id="737395cc-597a-42a5-b9e6-29ec807687cf"></dynamic-object></div>Container traffic remained the biggest contributor in tonnage terms, accounting for 150 million metric tons of the 267 million metric tons Antwerp-Bruges handled last year. But overall cargo volumes, including dry and liquid cargoes, were down 4% year over year. The switch in services due to labor unrest and congestion led Antwerp-Bruges to lose market share to other north European ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre region, Vandermeiren added. He said the port’s market share slipped 1.2 percentage points to 29.3%. Cargo disruption caused by vessel diversions around southern Africa, unpredictable US tariff policies and shifts in carrier alliance memberships, especially the launch of the Maersk/Hapag-Lloyd Gemini Cooperation, also added extra pressure to the logistics chain. The total number of vessels waiting to berth in Antwerp during the fourth quarter was about 35% higher than the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Portcast. <h3>China business picks up amid US tariffs </h3>Vandermeiren pointed out that US tariffs on China caused a 3.8% increase in container imports from China to Antwerp, although containerized exports to China fell 3.3%. He was hopeful though that stability within the alliances, coupled with the more efficient handling of goods in the port, meant congestion would not be an issue this year. Vandermeiren was also optimistic that labor relations would improve, especially among the marine pilots who are discussing a new organization. “The discussions are evolving well in a constructive atmosphere,” he said.” So hopefully we will not have those 25 days [of disruption] again.” Vandermeiren said last year’s congestion problems increased the urgency for $6 billion worth of projects on the board, including Antwerp’s extra container capacity initiative that aims to add an extra 7.1 million TEUs of capacity. This will be achieved through the construction of additional dock space, including the expansion of the North Sea terminal. The regional Flemish government has already approved part of the work. Vandermeiren expects construction will start on all the projects this year and in 2027, with completion by 2032–33. “Without additional capacity, there is a risk that a large part of container traffic will shift to foreign ports,” a port spokesperson said. Contact Keith Wallis at <a href="https://www.joc.com/article/keithwallis@hotmail.com.">keithwallis@hotmail.com</a>.</div>

Labor woes and congestion in 2025 cost the Port of Antwerp-Bruges both cargo volumes and market share, the head of the Belgian port complex said Tuesday. Port CEO Jacques Vandermeiren said Antwerp experienced about 25 days of industrial action last year that resulted in the loss of 2.4 million metric tons of cargo, equivalent to 1% of its annual throughput, as carriers switched to alternative ports. That left container throughput for the year virtually flat, growing just 0.7% to 13.6 million TEUs. Vandermeiren pointed out that delays on the inland transport network, especially rail, were even longer, without giving a figure. “Carriers prefer to go to other ports instead of waiting,” Vandermeiren said during an online results briefing, adding he was unsure if the loss of services and port calls is permanent or temporary. “Twenty-five days is a lot. In my opinion, [a] once in a lifetime [event]. But not a second time.” Container traffic remained the biggest contributor in tonnage terms, accounting for 150 million metric tons of the 267 million metric tons Antwerp-Bruges handled last year. But overall cargo volumes, including dry and liquid cargoes, were down 4% year over year. The switch in services due to labor unrest and congestion led Antwerp-Bruges to lose market share to other north European ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre region, Vandermeiren added. He said the port’s market share slipped 1.2 percentage points to 29.3%. Cargo disruption caused by vessel diversions around southern Africa, unpredictable US tariff policies and shifts in carrier alliance memberships, especially the launch of the Maersk/Hapag-Lloyd Gemini Cooperation, also added extra pressure to the logistics chain. The total number of vessels waiting to berth in Antwerp during the fourth quarter was about 35% higher than the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Portcast. China business picks up amid US tariffs Vandermeiren pointed out that US tariffs on China caused a 3.8% increase in container imports from China to Antwerp, although containerized exports to China fell 3.3%. He was hopeful though that stability within the alliances, coupled with the more efficient handling of goods in the port, meant congestion would not be an issue this year. Vandermeiren was also optimistic that labor relations would improve, especially among the marine pilots who are discussing a new organization. “The discussions are evolving well in a constructive atmosphere,” he said.” So hopefully we will not have those 25 days [of disruption] again.” Vandermeiren said last year’s congestion problems increased the urgency for $6 billion worth of projects on the board, including Antwerp’s extra container capacity initiative that aims to add an extra 7.1 million TEUs of capacity. This will be achieved through the construction of additional dock space, including the expansion of the North Sea terminal. The regional Flemish government has already approved part of the work. Vandermeiren expects construction will start on all the projects this year and in 2027, with completion by 2032–33. “Without additional capacity, there is a risk that a large part of container traffic will shift to foreign ports,” a port spokesperson said. Contact Keith Wallis at keithwallis@hotmail.com .

Labor action, congestion cost Antwerp-Bruges cargo volumes, market share in 2025

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Monthly publication providing an editorial deep dive into global supply chain news

Journal of Commerce Magazine - Rectangle Box

Journal of Commerce Magazine

A premium access index of savings using domestic intermodal vs. OTR 

ISI Report - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Savings Index

An in-depth analysis of transport trends in the multipurpose and heavy-lift fleet segment

Breakbulk Report - Rectangle Box

Breakbulk Quarterly

An extensive dashboard of charts organized by trade lane, mode, and topic

Gateway - Rectangle Box

Gateway

Customers scoring their intermodal partners to identify the best service providers

Intermodal Service Scorecard - Rectangle Box

Intermodal Service Scorecard

A premium access outlook critical to shippers and transportation providers

QI Report - Rectangle Box

Quarterly Intelligence

The premier conference for the global container shipping and supply chain community

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Attend TPM26

The only editorially independent conference for the breakbulk & project cargo industry

Breakbulk Conference - Rectangle Box

Attend Breakbulk26

The Journal of Commerce’s analysis and coverage of North American and global rail news encompasses Class I railroad, intermodal marketing providers, and supporting drayage and truckload services. Reporting on freight railroad news today, journalists track volume, intermodal freight rates, service levels, precision schedule railroading, transloading, regulation, union labor and network investment at domestic and international intermodal terminals.

International rail

Intermodal providers

Stay updated with our rail transport news and trends. Journal of Commerce covers intermodal news, and port connectivity news in the container rail transport sector.

Rail News | Journal of Commerce

Rail News

The Journal of Commerce’s surface transport news and analysis focuses on landside transport movement — from railroad news to trucking news — including full load trucking, less-than-truckload (LTL), refrigerated (or reefer) trucking, flatbed and domestic and international intermodal rail, and how it connects with seaports, inland rail hubs, distribution centers and transloading operations. Reporting on the surface transport sector covers the movement of domestic shipments within the United States and international cargoes transported via domestic equipment including trailers and 53-foot containers.

Discover comprehensive trucking news and trends with Journal of Commerce - from trucking LTL to regulation and trucking supply and demand.

Trucking News | Journal of Commerce

Trucking News

Explore the world of ground transport news - from trucks to railroads, intermodal connections, and port ties. Daily insights on US and global shipments.

Latest News

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