News / Winter storms hobble European container shipping

Maersk Newbury, photo: VesselFinder

Shippers should expect delays as severe winter weather across Western Europe disrupts container shipping, forcing terminals to suspend operations and vessels to take shelter.

And with carriers warning of delays and knock-on congestion across supply chains, more bad weather for the region is on the way. 

Maersk said yesterday that “extreme weather conditions” were expected in the Channel and Bay of Biscay in the coming days, warning the situation would “severely impact vessel movement and port operations”, and could delay vessels sailing southbound to South Africa as well as services heading north to Rotterdam and London. 

In a further customer update today, Maersk said south-west and western Europe were being hit by “heavy storms and snowfall”, with terminals stopping work or operating at reduced productivity. 

The carrier said: “The severe conditions are causing significant industry-wide disruptions, with vessels sheltering and terminals having to stop operations or working with reduced productivity. 

“As a result, productivity at terminals and depots has been reduced, while snow and icy road conditions are causing traffic congestion and delays for inland transportation to and from terminals. These factors are contributing to longer waiting times for both import and export cargo, as well as increasing yard congestion at several terminals. 

“At the time of publishing, terminals in the West Mediterranean have stopped operations, with no clear indication of when operations can start again,” Maersk said, adding that while conditions in the Bay of Biscay had improved, they were expected to worsen again during the week. 

The carrier said it was working on contingency plans and schedule recovery measures, and urged customers to collect import containers as early as possible to ease pressure on terminals. 

Ocean Network Express (ONE) also warned customers of “significant operational disruptions across the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay”, caused by a series of low-pressure systems, with high swells and gale-force winds expected to persist for seven to 10 days. 

ONE said port approaches in Portugal, Morocco, and the Strait of Gibraltar were affected, with terminals including Algeciras, Tangier, and Casablanca temporarily suspending operations, increasing congestion and forcing vessels to shelter in safe waters. 

At Gibraltar, gale-force winds and heavy swells have halted port operations, with all bunkering and terminal activity suspended, resulting in delays to vessel movements and line-ups. 

Inchcape Shipping Services said Gibraltar port operations were suspended last Thursday, briefly resuming on Saturday before being halted again, with around 30 vessels currently waiting for conditions to improve. Operations are expected to resume tomorrow morning. 

Hapag-Lloyd told The Loadstar it expected delays “for traffic from and to North Europe. Operations after re-opening still under evaluation”. It added that Lisbon port was “working with restrictions”, with only smaller vessels able to berth. 

DHL Global Forwarding warned customers to expect extended waiting times or schedule adjustments.

“We are currently observing operational slowdowns across parts of the Western Mediterranean, mainly driven by winter weather conditions and temporary capacity constraints at several terminals. While the situation remains manageable, a number of ports are reporting delays in the range of 2–5 days, largely due to adjusted operations, reduced productivity, and inland transport constraints,” said a spokesperson.

“In Spain, Italy, and Greece, weather‑related impacts and congestion have been noted, though conditions are gradually improving. Inland operations in Italy continue to face limited trucking capacity and higher terminal occupancy, making early planning advisable. The port of Sines is also experiencing increased congestion linked to elevated transshipment volumes.

“These measures are having a moderate impact on cargo movements to and from North Europe, but carriers and terminals are adapting as conditions evolve.”

Kuehne + Nagel said Algiers was “heavily disrupted”, with a seven-day average vessel waiting time. Casablanca is closed until tomorrow, due to severe weather and high swells, while Tanger Med also remained closed. 

Vessels are already seeing delays: data from eeSea indicated Maersk Newbury was expected at Tanger Med yesterday, but is now scheduled to arrive on 3 February; while Cape Fulmar has been pushed back to 6 February. By contrast, CMA CGM Rodolphe was delayed by only around a day and due tomorrow. 

One source noted that the situation was “affecting everyone”, and the outlook “isn’t good”, with more bad weather expected next week. 

A Maersk spokesperson said the worst impacts were concentrated from Spain and Morocco’s Atlantic-facing coastlines, through the Bay of Biscay and up to the UK, with further storm fronts forecast. 

The spokesperson added: “Several terminals in the North range (from Antwerp to Hamburg) still have some backlog from the severe winter weather in the past weeks. Plus we will see ripple effects for them due to the delayed vessels in south/south-western Europe situation.”