Port congestion shows strain on chaotic container market

Port congestion, particularly in northern Europe, is raising concerns of increasing delays and rising port charges as ports struggle to handle an increase in trade and the number of vessels calling at terminals.

An increasingly complex and chaotic global market is heightening the levels of uncertainty and producing counter-intuitive shifts in rates as carriers shift capacity from major Asian ports to US trades, into European services experiencing a rise in demand, but a decline in spot rates.