Labor disputes slowed several major seaports in Northern Europe in early September. In German ports, a 48-hour strike began late on September 2nd; six locations were affected: Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Brake, and Emden. On September 4th, a roughly eight-hour work stoppage followed in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Zeeland.
The direct work stoppage has ended. However, the problem is not automatically resolved. During a strike, ship movements, crane hours, gate clearances, and rail or barge connections are suspended. These volumes must be processed later in addition to normal daily operations. Delayed vessels often arrive simultaneously and worsen the backlog.
Maersk reported on September 9th of continued operational pressure in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and Wilhelmshaven. Hapag-Lloyd had already warned of impacts on ship handling, terminal operations, and hinterland transport. Kuehne+Nagel reported high storage utilization in German ports for the week of September 2nd to 8th.
By mid-September, the situation in Germany had largely normalized. Hapag-Lloyd's current Northern Europe update shows normal storage utilization of 80 to 85 percent for Hamburg's Burchardkai and Bremerhaven, and 70 to 75 percent for Altenwerder and Wilhelmshaven. Rotterdam remains tighter: ECT and RWG are at 80 to 85 percent, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II at 85 to 90 percent. Antwerp has normalized.
The wage dispute, however, remains unresolved. On September 15th, ver.di announced that 64.7 percent of those voting rejected the employer offer—3,578 votes against 1,945. Since then, a membership survey has been underway under the provisions of the ballot, running until the evening of October 1st, 2026. If at least 75 percent vote for rejection and indefinite strikes, the Federal Wage Commission decides on the failure of negotiations and entry into forced strikes. The six German seaports with approximately 11,000 employees would be affected again. The Central Association of German Port Operators warned on September 17th of an escalation and that cargo diverted once could permanently remain absent.
For shippers, the greatest risk usually does not occur at sea, but after discharge. If rail windows are missed, inland vessels have limited capacity, or truck slots are unavailable, the container remains at the terminal. This threatens storage fees, demurrage, or detention charges. These terms refer to costs for extended use of terminal space or carrier equipment.
Importers using Northern European routes should therefore monitor actual discharge, release, and subsequent booking individually. A projected arrival date alone is insufficient in this situation.