After Germany, Europe's Largest Port is on Strike Again

A few days ago, many German seaports held strikes, including Germany's largest port Hamburg. Ports such as Emden, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven were affected. In the latest news, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, one of Europe's largest ports, is preparing for another strike, at a time when Belgian port facilities are experiencing severe and untimely congestion.

Many unions plan to hold a national strike next Monday, demanding higher wages, greater dialogue and public sector investment. A similar one-day nationwide general strike at the end of May saw port workers shut down and paralyzed operations at many of the country's ports.

"Our operational activities have been limited due to the active participation of our employees in port-related work," said a notice to PSA's international clients. Port of Singapore (PSA) is the main terminal operator in Antwerp, Belgium, Antwerp It is the flagship port of Singapore port operator PSA in Europe.

Europe's second-largest port, Antwerp, announced a merger with another port, Zeebrugge, late last year, and officially began working as a unified entity in April. The integrated Port of Antwerp-Bruges claims to be Europe's largest export port with 74,000 employees and is said to be the largest car port on the continent. Ports are already under considerable pressure with the peak season approaching.

German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd suspended barge services at the port of Antwerp this month as congestion at the terminals increased. Barge operator Contargo warned a week ago that vessel waiting times in the port of Antwerp had increased from 33 hours at the end of May to 46 hours on June 9.

The threat posed by European port strikes is weighing heavily on shippers as the peak shipping season begins this year.

Dockworkers at the German port of Hamburg staged a brief, threatening strike on Friday, the first in more than three decades at Germany's largest port. Meanwhile, other port cities in northern Germany are also involved in salary negotiations. Hanseatic unions are threatening further strikes at a time when the port is already heavily congested.