Operations at the Port of Rotterdam returned to normal after an agreement was reached between the parties concerned and Hutchison Ports Delta II, Maersk reported in a customer advisory. The go-slow action across the port ended in the morning hours of 22 December, while operations returned to normal at Maasvlakte II on Friday 16 December as the unions and terminal operators continue to negotiate in good faith. In the meantime, considering the reduced workforce during the holiday season, services are expected to resume their normal calls and windows from the first week of January 2023, said Maersk. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Old article from 15 December 2022 >> Maersk has announced its contingency plan for cargo destined for Rotterdam as go-slow actions continue to impact operations at Hutchison Ports Delta II. Vessels scheduled to call the terminal will now discharge cargo at alternative ports such as Antwerp and Zeebrugge. The “go-slow” action involves a reduced number of moves per hour during loading and discharge operations, increasing the time a vessel stays at the port, and consequently disrupting normal vessel schedules. On 6 December, Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) negotiations between the unions and the Hutchison Ports began and have not yet been concluded. The industrial action is expected to continue until a settlement is reached. In its initial advisory dated 7 December, Maersk said it expected its vessel schedule integrity to be compromised significantly by the strike. “As operations are impacted by this action, and we are expecting a minimum of 48 hours delay on vessel loading and discharging, critical increases in yard density, and long queues for the impacted terminal. Consequently, we expect landside operations and connectivity to also be affected with delays and disruption.” Today, the carrier has announced its services will no longer call Hutchison Ports Delta II due to the delays. Operations at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in Rotterdam were also recently impacted by a go-slow action by port workers. CLA discussion between APM Terminals and the unions began on 8 December and go-slow action followed on 11 December. However, Maersk reported that, unlike Hutchison Ports, operations at the APM Terminal began to normalise after the conclusion of the second round of meetings on 13 December. Negotiations have not yet concluded and the next round is scheduled for 19 December. “While we expect the normalisation to continue in the coming days, our teams continue to monitor the situation closely and keep in contact with all parties involved,” said Maersk in its advisory. However, it is unclear if the industrial action is over. In a separate advisory sent by APM Terminals today, go-slow actions continue to affect terminal operations. Should your cargo be affected by the industrial action, please reach out to our Kuehne+Nagel team for any questions.