Rotterdam (Port)

Latest news

Strike of lashers impacting services in container port

Lashers at the port of Rotterdam initiated a 48-hour strike on the afternoon of Oct 7, 2025, bringing container operations to a standstill as workers demand edhigher wages. The work stoppage began at 3:15 p.m. LT and continued until the afternoon of 'Oct 9, effectively paralyzing vessel loading and unloading operations throughout the container port. The FNV labor union confirmed that all employees from International Lashing Services and Matrans Marine Services, the two companies responsible for lashing operations in Rotterdam, were participating in the strike. While the Rotterdam port authority acknowledged the strike would certainly impact traffic, they said it was too early to provide estimates on the full scope of disruptions. Maersk reported that the strike affected all major terminals in Rotterdam, including the APM Terminals Maasvlakte II, Hutchinson Ports Delta II, ECT Delta, and Rotterdam World Gateway. The labour dispute centered on working conditions and compensation for lashing personnel on Terminals in Rotterdam. While terminal infrastructure including tugs and pilots remained operational, vessel operations have been significantly impacted due to the suspension of lashing services, which are essential for the safe securing and release of containers on board vessels.

Container stack blown over, four cars buried

At a company in the Eemhaven Way in Heijplaat, Rotterdam, a stack of shipping containers was blown over and fell onto the public road due to strong winds on the afternoon of Sep 15, 2025. Four cars were trapped under the containers. There were no casualties. The fire department responded to recover the containers. The area has been cordoned off due to the risk of more containers being blown over. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) issued a code yellow warning for the entire Dutch coastal area due to strong wind gusts. Report with photo: https://www.schuttevaer.nl/nieuws/actueel/2025/09/15/geparkeerde-autos-in-waalhaven-verdwijnen-onder-omwaaiende-stapel-zeecontainers/

Multi Modal Rail B.V. (MMR) launches rail service between Rotterdam and Ottmarsheim, France

Last week, the Dutch multimodal operator Multi Modal Rail B.V. launched a new container rail service between Rotterdam and the French town of Ottmarsheim, Port of Rotterdam said in its release. Starting with one round trip per week, the shuttle connection is expected to swiftly expand to two round trips per week. The train calls on each of Rotterdam’s major terminals. After being loaded in Rotterdam on Thursday, the shuttle departs from the sea port on Friday and arrives/departs in Ottmarsheim on Saturday. The train is back at Maasvlakte for unloading on Sunday morning. The shuttle service is offered as a complement to the two existing container rail services between Rotterdam and Strasbourg.