Europe's ports are expecting a rush of ships

After the blockade in the Suez Canal has been resolved, Europe's ports are preparing for a congestion of container ships. The capacity in Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, will come under pressure, said port spokesman Leon Willems in Rotterdam. The infrastructure cannot be expanded at will. "We have to make do with what we have in quays, cranes and terminals." The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is also preparing for maximum capacity utilization at the quayside. About 60 ships that have been stuck in the Suez Canal because of the "Ever Given" disaster are now on their way to Rotterdam, the spokesman said. In addition, normal traffic continues. According to the information, about 80 seagoing ships call at the port of Rotterdam on average days. Willems did not provide any information about the time of the expected rush. The port spokesman compared the situation to a traffic jam on a French motorway. "When that is broken up, the traffic starts rolling again. But everything is stuck again at the toll stations." A factor of uncertainty is the time in which the ships can be unloaded and reloaded. The port is now in talks with companies from the entire logistics chain in order to enable the fastest and smoothest possible process. Everyone was called upon to ensure maximum storage capacity. Willems spoke of a difficult task. There are similar expectations in Germany. "After the resumption of traffic in the Suez Canal, a delayed peak can be assumed for large container ships calling," said a spokesman for the Hamburg port authority. In order to avoid new traffic jams - this time in Hamburg - the Nautical Center, as the traffic control center, will dispatch the ships in such a way that the quay operations are fully utilized.