Container Piling Up in Several German Ports

According to CCTV news, according to German media reports on the 22nd local time, due to the impact of the CCVID-19 and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, many ports in Germany have accumulated cargo. More than a dozen cargo ships scheduled to call at the ports of Hamburg or Bremerhaven now have to wait days or even weeks before berthing.

The Port of Hamburg's Buchardkai terminal is one of the four largest container handling terminals in Germany. Right now, there are 8 freighters waiting there. The head of the terminal management company said, "The company's situation is very tense, and we need to increase 800 shifts every month to deal with the congestion of containers and freighters."

Although the terminal management company and its parent company, the Port of Hamburg Logistics Group, are arranging employees to work overtime, the container accumulation situation on the terminal is still increasing, and the cargo processing speed cannot meet the demand, which also makes more and more containers piled up and waiting to be processed. According to Hansen, an independent director of the Port of Hamburg Logistics Group, the Butchardkai terminal is mainly responsible for handling Far East cargo, and the logistics group is currently negotiating with customers.

Experts warn that the worst is yet to come. "The situation will deteriorate sharply in the coming weeks, with congestion and longer waits," said Nienemann, a professor at the Hamburg School of Business Administration. He also pointed out that the high costs will eventually be passed on to consumers, as port and logistics disruptions will exacerbate the currency. swell.

Siegfried Russwurm, chairman of the Federal Confederation of German Industry (BDI), said, "German industry is concerned that production processes will be disrupted in the coming weeks. Especially affected are those industries that rely on the import of raw materials or the delivery of construction components. And industries that transport finished goods by sea,” Ruthwar said. “Businesses and customers are already feeling the effects of the turmoil in international logistics. Shipping prices have more than doubled in recent months due to the war in Ukraine and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. ."