At dawn on Thursday, ships lined the approaches to Rotterdam. Some had been waiting overnight, their lights flickering in the mist. On the quays, the scene was quieter than usual. The men and women who normally climb the ladders to lash and unlash containers weren’t there.

It wasn’t a full blockade. Cranes still moved. Trucks still passed through the gates. But the rhythm was broken. A job that should take minutes stretched into hours. One forwarder described it as “a constant drag on every step,” and the backlog grew with each shift.

By mid-day, truckers reported longer queues at the gates. Exporters were warned to bring boxes in earlier than planned. A few carriers quietly told customers to expect roll-overs — containers that would miss their intended vessel.

Terminal managers scrambled to adjust. Some called in extra night crews, others prioritized reefer and dangerous goods, anything that couldn’t sit too long in the yard. Yet even with those measures, the knock-on effects were clear. Schedules slipped. Berths overflowed. And chatter about congestion surcharges started making the rounds.

For shippers, the advice was blunt: route urgent freight through Antwerp or Bremerhaven if you can, prepare for delays if you cannot. “A total strike we can plan around,” one logistics manager said. “This kind of slowdown is worse — it creeps into every connection.”

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