Trucks can now enter ECT’s Delta and Euromax terminals on Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte only with a booked time slot. The Truck Capacity Management System went live on 5 October, after ECT announced it on 19 September. Weekday slots run for four hours, and when a slot is full the system assigns the next free one, which can be much later. A truck that arrives too early, or misses its slot without cancelling in time, can be charged €100. ECT is starting with an introduction period of one to three months, during which surcharges appear on invoices but are not collected.
The road in is still constrained as well. The old Suurhoffbrug on the A15 remains open on the hard shoulder only, and Rijkswaterstaat has not said how long the repair will take. Shypple’s advice is to share documents and instructions as early as possible, since late paperwork means a later slot, and a container that sits longer at the terminal risks extra storage or demurrage days.
Spot rates ease through Golden Week
China’s Golden Week runs from 1 to 7 October, and Drewry’s assessment on 1 October showed Asia to Europe spot rates falling for a second week in a row. Hapag-Lloyd has announced higher Far East to Europe rates from 19 October.
Surcharges are moving up at the same time. The EU carbon surcharge under the ETS rises on every trade lane in Q4, with Asia to Europe at €95 per TEU, up from €89 in Q3. CMA CGM added an emergency fuel surcharge from 1 October of $265 per TEU for dry and $320 for reefer containers on its main trades, citing the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.
Panama loosens while the Rhine tightens
The Panama Canal Authority raised the maximum draft to 49 feet from 48 on 28 September, and daily transits go from 32 to 33 from 15 October, though it warns that the water deficit continues. The Rhine is moving the other way. The reference gauge at Kaub dropped below zero on 27 September, reached minus 5 centimeters on 1 October and read 0 centimeters on the morning of 2 October. Shypple’s freight update has the full lane detail, including Suez, where more container lines are returning.
