EUROPE PORT CONGESTION

• February 17, 2023

Last updated on April 19, 2025

Port congestion in Europe has significantly impacted the logistics industry over the last couple of years. The experts predict that this will impact the industry for the majority of 2023. Many vehicle shipping companies are affected by the waiting times, costs, and delays in vehicles delivery – which also affects the customers.

The increased competition for port space has been one of the biggest challenges for any logistics company this year. The waiting time for cargo ships to be loaded and unloaded has increased dramatically, which means that many shipping companies are struggling to secure a cargo space to transport their vehicles. The result is also increased shipping times for customers and in some cases increased costs.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on vehicle shipping companies and the logistics industry overall. Reduced capacity at ports, social distancing, increased health and safety protocols makes the transport of goods much more complicated than it was before the pandemic. Even in 2023 the COVID-19 pandemic is having a big impact on the automotive industry; customers are experiencing delays and disruptions in delivery of their vehicles.

However, in 2023 the pandemic isn’t the only reason for Europe’s port congestions. The war in Ukraine, potential of increased regulations and tariffs on trade in the European Union are also concerning for the shipping industry. All the new measures put in place will likely further impact the time and cost of shipping vehicles through European ports.

Europe’s port congestions affect the vehicle shipping industry worldwide. Since the port congestion started companies are exploring alternative shipping routes and the whole industry is working to improve the shipping efficiency and increase the capacity at ports. The positive news is that vehicle shipping is a complex process involving many people and organisations, and many people are working to make the ports function better and make the vehicle shipping a smoother process.

The industry is greatly affected by the current and expected congestions, the rising costs and longer waiting times. At Trans Global Logistics we believe in full transparency and keeping our customers informed of anything that could impact the shipping times of their vehicles. We believe that with proper collaboration and further measures in place the situation will be improved and the vehicles can be shipped to its new destination in a timely manner and reasonable cost.