News / Congestion in Hamburg highlights the impact of mega-ships and bad weather

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The chaos that big ships, combined with adverse weather, can cause was illustrated recently by a chronic build-up of containers in the German hub port of Hamburg.

This winter was one of the worst in living memory for storms in the Bay of Biscay, with more than 40 incidents of severe weather recorded, leading to massive delays in ships reaching ports across northern Europe.

But in Hamburg, with its particular mixture of a high concentration of local exports serviced by big ships ...