The international flow of goods was already hampered in Ukraine before the war. As a result of the pandemic, there was a containercrisisin which global trade was disrupted by, among other things, lockdowns and prices went through the roof.
The logistics system has been thrown out of balance and you can also feel the extra control on containers in Rotterdam, says Victor van der Chijs, chairman of Deltalinqs, the business association of logistics, port and industrial companies. “The port is full of containers, so you can’t get something like that.”
And in addition to longer waiting times, sea transport to Russia is also coming to a standstill because shipping companies such as Maersk, MSC, ONE and Hapag-Lloyd earlier decided not to take any new bookings for container transport to Russia.
Miracle
Due to the stacking of containers in the port, companies have moved to other places in the port area of Rotterdam. Van der Chijs: “You have to see Rotterdam as a miracle of logistics: everything is very tightly coordinated. If even one container arrives late, you can see the system getting stuck a bit. Port of Rotterdam really worries.”
Because such a 15 percent of the transhipment in the port of Rotterdam is related to Russia. The port of Rotterdam is an important player when it comes to the transhipment of coal (20%), oil products (20%), LNG (25%) and crude oil (30%) from Russia.
But the Port Authority says it will only really notice the consequences of the war in Ukraine if there is a boycott on oil and gas from Russia.
According to the Dutch Petroleum Industry Association, there are currently no oil shortages. Director Erik Klooster: “The stock of diesel is tight, but there is no question of a physical shortage. And to replace trade with Russia, companies are currently looking for alternatives as best they can.”
–
