By our economics editors
Jan 18, 2024 at 10:59 AM Update: an hour ago
Winter weather and avoidance of the Red Sea are causing congestion and delays in ports in Northern Europe, container shipping company Maersk warns. The Danish freight carrier calls on its customers to collect their containers quickly after unloading.
Maersk no longer sails across the Red Sea, because Houthi rebels from Yemen regularly attack cargo ships there in retaliation for support for Israel. Maersk ships were targeted several times.
“We advise customers to prepare for ongoing issues in that area and for significant disruptions to the global network,” the shipping company said. The violence and disruptions could continue for a few months, according to the freight carrier.
Furthermore, Maersk has offered to have some freight containers transported to Europe and the United States not by ship, but by air. This concerns goods in the ports of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Snow has not only fallen in the Netherlands in recent days. In Germany, the winter weather caused major problems. Snow, sleet and ice led to delays on the railway, among other things. Frankfurt airport also had to halt air traffic.
Fairly quiet in the port of Rotterdam
There are no problems with congestion in the port of Rotterdam, a spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam Authority said. It is now quite quiet in the port, because they are waiting for ships that are sailing via Africa.
These ships are expected in the near future, which will make handling busier again. No major problems are expected, the spokesperson said.
Beeld: Getty Images
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2024-01-18 09:59:19
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