by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

Following a court order mandating the resumption of work on Monday, 13 October, parties involved in the Rotterdam port strike have reached an agreement.

The strike was officially declared over on Friday, 18 October, with no expectation of renewed action.

In Antwerp, the general strike ended as scheduled.

However, the labour action conducted by pilots last week has now been suspended for a 10-day negotiation period. Should talks fail, strikes may resume.

Despite the end of strike measures in both ports, significant backlogs in cargo handling remain.

Antwerp terminals are heavily congested, with ships still awaiting entry and departure. Rotterdam terminals are operating below full capacity, but still at a high level.

Kuehne+Nagel reports that the current congestion in the handling of inland vessels is 50-70 hours in both ports.

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