Shortage of container terminal loading and unloading capacity in European ports

The sustained rapid development of the Asian economy has led to a significant increase in trade volume between Europe and Asia, but this also highlights the serious shortage of loading and unloading capacity in major ports in Europe. Industry insiders have pointed out that some container ships are even forced to leave their original ships due to a shortage of berths at the port, and barge operators and truck drivers in the port area are also facing transportation delays. Although major ports have successively carried out expansion projects to increase production capacity, they criticize the above plan as too late and the project progress is slow, which is not enough to cope with the high growth of trade volume.

According to the European Association of Freight Forwarders, Transport and Customs Clearance (CLECAT), the annual growth rate of container shipping in Europe from 2005 to 2011 was 7.8%, but the annual growth rate of port capacity during this period was only 4.2%. The association stated, "The congestion problem in Western European ports is not as severe as some ports in the United States, Asia, and Russia, but due to the expected increase in transportation volume, the trend will not slow down in the short term." Data from Drewry Shipping Consultants also shows that 73% of container ships arrived at European ports in the first quarter of this year with delays, a significant increase from 45% in the same period last year.

The waiting time is too long and the original ship has left

It has been reported that container ships have been forced to leave the ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg on the European continent, as well as Felixstowe and Southampton ports in the UK, due to long waiting times at anchorages and failure to allocate berths in a timely manner. As a result, the original ships have been forced to sail to nearby ports to load and unload goods. In addition, barge operators at the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp also face transportation delays, with Rotterdam port operators having to wait for two days to obtain goods, and local truck drivers having to wait for several hours to enter the port area for operations.

The President of Rotterdam Port's European Container Terminal (ECT), Vasztorhau, emphasized that "Far Eastern trade is booming, and the volume of goods we handle is greatly increasing. In some cases, there will naturally be significant delays." Last year, the port's container throughput increased by only 4% annually, but in the first quarter of this year, it recorded a 10% increase. The neighboring port of Antwerp also saw an 18% year-on-year increase in container volume in the first quarter, while the port of Hamburg saw a 9.6% increase.

Industry insiders point out that the sharp increase in the export volume of goods from China has led to increasingly severe congestion in European ports, and increasing terminal capacity is the only way to solve the above problems. However, the current progress of expansion projects has not kept up with the growth of trade volume. The business prospects of shipping companies in Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, are not very clear, "said Brent, General Manager of the Operations Department of Hanjin Shipping Netherlands Branch

The port expansion project has been repeatedly delayed

ECT is currently constructing new barges and container terminals to meet trade demand from Asia, but due to project delays, these two facilities will be delayed until the second half of 2008 and early 2009 respectively before they can be fully operational. In addition, the Port of Rotterdam also plans to invest 2.8 billion euros in reclamation projects to increase the land area and production capacity of the port area. The project was originally scheduled to start in 2002, but due to environmental issues, it was postponed until next year and is expected to be completed in 2012. Brent criticized that the above-mentioned project was too late for the shipping company.

The expansion project of Antwerp Port was also delayed due to protests from environmental groups. The construction of the second port area was delayed until 2009, while Hamburg Port planned to double its port ownership by 2015.

On the other hand, British ports are also facing a certain degree of congestion, and the terminals currently do not have much production capacity to handle large container ships. To avoid further deterioration of the situation, Eurotunnel Group and the French port of Dunkirk previously proposed opening a new freight route - goods will be unloaded at Dunkirk port and loaded onto trains to travel through the Channel Tunnel to the UK. (Ta Kung Pao News)