Congestion at major European ports is worsening, raising concerns about a ripple effect across global supply chains as trade tensions, labor shortages, and shifting tariff policies disrupt maritime operations, according to a new report from London-based consultancy Drewry, as highlighted by Bloomberg News.
Ports in northern Europe—including Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Felixstowe—are experiencing sharp increases in waiting times for container ships. At Germany’s Bremerhaven, average berth delays surged 77% between late March and mid-May. Hamburg and Antwerp also reported delays rising by 49% and 37%, respectively.
The bottlenecks are attributed to labor shortages and low water levels along the Rhine River, a key inland shipping artery, which has disrupted barge traffic and intensified strain at seaports.
Compounding the congestion, U.S. President Donald Trump’s temporary rollback on 145% tariffs on Chinese imports—set to expire August 14—has pulled forward demand on transpacific routes. This has led to signs of an early peak shipping season, increasing pressure at global ports including Shenzhen, Los Angeles, and New York, where Drewry noted a rising number of container ships waiting for berth since late April.
“Port delays are stretching transit times, disrupting inventory planning and pushing shippers to carry extra stock,” Drewry stated. The firm warned that trade volatility, especially between the U.S., China, and the EU, could intensify port congestion and push freight rates even higher.
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd AG, acknowledged some signs of improvement but said it would take another six to eight weeks to bring European port congestion under control. Speaking during a recent webinar, he warned that sudden shifts in shipping routes could overwhelm ports.
“If we would from one day to another shift those ships back through [the] Suez [Canal], we would create massive congestion,” Jansen said, referencing continued vessel rerouting around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, where Houthi attacks have persisted since late 2023.
Despite Trump’s temporary tariff truce with China, economists remain cautious. Torsten Slok, Chief Economist at Apollo Management, noted that the expected rebound in Pacific shipping volume has yet to materialize. “This raises the question: Are 30% tariffs on China still too high? Or are US companies simply waiting to see if tariffs will drop further before ramping up shipments?” Slok wrote in a note cited by Bloomberg.
Tensions are now spreading to transatlantic trade. On Friday, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods starting June 1, sparking fears of a new front in the trade war. According to Oxford Economics, such a move would hit Germany, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands hardest due to their export exposure to the U.S. Bloomberg Economics estimates that tariffs of this scale could reduce EU exports to the U.S. by more than half.
The mounting uncertainty has already prompted carriers such as MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co., the world’s largest container line, to announce general rate increases and peak season surcharges on Asian cargo beginning in June.
With spot shipping rates poised to rise further and global supply chains under pressure, Drewry’s report serves as a warning that geopolitical instability—not just port operations—is now a key driver of maritime disruptions.
As the industry braces for a volatile summer, experts say the stakes are high. “The additional policy uncertainty will be a deadweight cost to global activity,” Oxford Economics wrote, adding that unpredictability in trade policy is now directly translating into operational and financial strain for global shipping.
