As Northern European ports experience the most severe congestion of the year, PortXchange is urging the global maritime industry to adopt smarter, real-time port call optimisation technologies to mitigate disruption, lower emissions, and restore supply chain reliability.

Fresh data from the Drewry Container Capacity Insight, released on 23 May 2025, paints a stark picture: averageberth waiting times have surged across major gateways. Antwerp saw waiting times rise from 32 to 44 hours, a 37% increase, while Hamburg jumped from 34 to 50 hours. Bremerhaven experienced the steepest climb, up by 77%, with recent labour shortages and strike actions amplifying delays.

Further complicating the picture, historically low water levels on the Rhine have restricted inland barge transport, placing additional strain on key multimodal corridors out of ports like Antwerp and Rotterdam.

“These numbers aren’t just a signal; they’re a siren,” said Sjoerd de Jager, CEO of PortXchange. “Port delays are no longer simply a logistics issue. They’re a carbon problem, a large additional cost and a growing threat to global trade continuity. Precision and coordination are no longer optional; they’re essential.”

PortXchange’s Synchronizer platform addresses this challenge by providing real-time coordination between vessels, terminals, and port authorities. It enables Just-in-Time (JIT) arrivals, helping ships slow down en route when berths aren’t yet available, reducing anchorage time, cutting fuel consumption, and avoiding unnecessary emissions.

Complementing this, EmissionInsider, also developed by PortXchange, allows ports and carriers to visualise, track, and benchmark their transport-related emissions across all modes, including sea-going vessels, barges, rail, and truck freight.

“As we saw in the Port of Rotterdam, where Synchronizer has been fully deployed, combining berth synchronisation with emissions transparency enables infrastructure planning and environmental strategy to work hand-in-hand,” de Jager added. “By identifying carbon hotspots and aligning port calls with actual capacity, we’re helping ports increase throughput even under pressure.”

The latest surge in congestion also comes at a time when ocean freight costs are rising once again. Spot rates on the Transpacific have increased by 27% since early May, while general rate increases and peak season surcharges are expected to take effect from 1 June.

De Jager warns that the tools many operators still rely on static ETA forecasts and siloed planning systems are ill-suited to today’s volatile landscape.

“We need a systemic shift to dynamic, data-driven decision-making in logistics. The technology is here. What’s needed now is data and adoption,” he adds.

Improving the operational efficiency of vessels, voyages, and transport systems is now recognised by the Global Maritime Forum and others as a critical lever for reducing maritime emissions while also preparing the industry for the transition to zero-emission fuels. By lowering overall energy demand, shipowners and operators not only reduce their greenhouse gas footprint but also ease the economic burden of switching to cleaner but currently more expensive fuels. This dual benefit of cutting emissions now while softening the cost curve for future fuel transitions has become a core pillar of the Forum’s Operational Efficiency initiative, which advocates for systemic actions across data transparency, contractual reform, and end-to-end collaboration across the value chain.

This “triple win”  lower emissions, reduced fuel consumption, and a smoother transition to sustainable fuels  lies at the heart of the Global Maritime Forum’s Operational Efficiency initiative. This programme champions measures such as data transparency, contractual innovation, full value chain collaboration, and leadership alignment. Central to its emerging strategies are Just-in-Time and Virtual Arrivals, which promote dynamic speed adjustments based on port readiness. By ensuring vessels arrive only when berth space and services are available, these practices drastically cut idle time and operational inefficiencies without prolonging voyage duration. However, to fully unlock the potential of operational and sustainable performance (OSP), governments and the financial sector must play their part  providing the capital required to bridge the price gap and enabling the long-term investment needed to scale these solutions.