Congestion surcharge announced at Felixstowe

With confirmation that CMA CGM have introduced a Port Congestion Surcharge from the 1st October 2020 for all containers arriving and departing Felixstowe. It is now likely that other carriers will follow suit.

The port has said to be taking measures to improve the service level by increasing its vehicle booking system availability but there is still substantially reduced booking slots. The port is apologising for the inconvenience of the congestion but we are yet to see any real improvement and we expect this situation to have a wide impact and spread.

Customers are being warned of such delays but with merchant haulage already overstretch there is increased pressure of the demand switching to Southampton and London. This will lead to more disruption as these hubs are not prepared for the additional volume.

‍

At KTL Europe we will monitor all developments at the ports and as usual work closely with our partners and customers to find the best solutions.

‍