DUTCH barge operator Contargo will levy a EUR15 (US$20.20) per box congestion surcharge for Rotterdam and Team Lines adds a 75 per cent surcharge for the Port of Hamburg which is suffering similar delays.
In June, Lloyd’s List reported that Rotterdam was suffering from congestion while upgrades were being made at ECT’s Delta Terminal as five new quay cranes were added.
Rotterdam’s Contargo and Hamburg feeder operator Team Lines say that since mid-April there has been increasing dwell times of 50-90 hours, increasing by a third.
The surcharge will apply in August, Contargo said, adding that it would cover costs of unloading at other terminals, trucking, reduction of capacity of it fleet and chartering other vessels.
Team Lines said it is facing congestion at Hamburg’s Container Terminal Burchardkai (CBT), forcing it to discharge containers at other local terminals.
In response, Hamburg terminal operator HHLA said it would create 50 jobs at CTB, following the 100 extra jobs it created at CTB and at Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) last year.
HHLA blamed the congestion on larger vessels resulting in more intensive peak periods.
“The constant increases in peak loads place serious operational demands on logistics companies and mean significant strain for the staff members,” said personnel chief Heinz Brandt.
HHLA said 63 ocean-going vessels were handled at CTB with more than 3,000 movements per vessel in the first half of 2014, compared to 29 vessels in the first half of 2008.
Container barge operator Contargo and feeder operator Team Lines are introducing surcharges for their Rotterdam services as the port continues to suffer from congestion.
Contargo said that since mid-April its barge fleet had experienced increasingly long waiting times at the port, with processing times of 50-90 hours not unusual.
Overall, processing times had increased by one third overall since April, it said.
As a result of the congestion, it will introduce a €15 ($20.20) per box charge for scheduled barge departures from August 1.
“The surcharge will initially apply in the month of August only,” Contargo said.
“[It] will be used to cover additional costs such as unloading at other terminals, trucking within the seaport, reduction of percentage capacity load of the existing fleet as well as the chartering of additional tonnage.”
Contargo is encouraging customers to book as early as possible to help with planning.
It also warned that signs of bottlenecks are appearing in Antwerp as well, in line with the holiday season.
Team Lines said it would introduce a Rotterdam surcharge of €75 per teu for all vessels arriving and departing from ECT Delta and ECT Euromax terminals to get compensation for the extra costs incurred because of the congestion.
In June, sister publication Lloyd’s List reported that Rotterdam was suffering from congestion while upgrades were being carried out at ECT’s Delta Terminal, with five new quay cranes added.
Meanwhile, Team Lines said earlier this month that it is facing congestions issues at HHLA’s Container Terminal Burchardkai in Hamburg.
It was forced to discharge containers at alternative Hamburg terminals, it said.
In response, HHLA today announced that it would create an additional 50 jobs at CTB.
This follows the 100 extra jobs it created at CTB and Container Terminal Altenwerder last year, some of whom are still in training.
HHLA blamed the congestion on larger vessels resulting in more intensive peak periods.
Chief human resources officer Heinz Brandt said: “The constantly increases in peak loads place serious operational demands on logistics companies and mean significant strain for the staff members.
“Our employees have met these challenges head on in the past and remained highly professional. The HHLA executive board rebuts all of the talk about go-slows or absenteeism because of the World Cup.”
HHLA said 63 ocean-going vessels were handled at CTB with more than 3,000 movements per vessel in the first half of 2014, compared to 29 vessels in the first half of 2008.
At the same time, the number of maximum movements per vessel of 3,922 containers in the first half of 2008 went up to 6,449 boxes in the first half of 2014.
Congestion rife across northern Europe
Shipping congestion is intensifying at the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg due to latent upgrades at ports and labour shortages, according to the Journal of Commerce.
Worsening bottlenecks at the Port of Rotterdam have alerted two short-sea and feeder lines to levy surcharges of almost US$100 per container.
Surcharges may also be introduced at one of the Port of Hamburg’s largest terminals, with the Port of Antwerp also nearing a state of cargo bottlenecks.
German feeder operator, Team Lines, has stated that the current situation in Rotterdam has not shown improvement since May when it witnessed berthing delays of up to two days.
Team Lines said it will impose a surcharge of US$102 per TEU from August 1 to compensate for the additional costs caused by congestion.
OPDR, a German short-sea carrier, and Contargo, a leading container barge operator, are also looking at introducing surcharges.
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