Hauliers have been experiencing delays at London Gateway Port of up to five hours when loading cargo, as a result of a series of operational challenges at the port, arising over the past few weeks.
Companies operating from London Gateway are warning clients of delays to deliveries as a result of what appears to be a recent perfect storm of mishaps.
These include two power and IT outages which hit terminal systems and crane operations and a lack of functioning module cranes, with hauliers reporting that on 26 June there were only 50% of module cranes working, and that berthing line-up for vessels had reached full capacity.
In addition a rail shunter caused damage to the port’s rail infrastructure, reducing rail capacity until repairs were carried out last week.
Rail companies operating out of the port estimated that over 500 containers had been unable to move by rail, as a result of these disruptions.
These operational challenges have also hit hauliers, who have experienced delays of between one and five hours whilst queueing at the port in London Gateway’s Operation Stack virtual queueing system.
Companies operating from the port have been warning their customers of long delays and possible surcharges from hauliers as a result of the disruption.
In an alert to customers posted on its website Davies Turner points to problems with outages, crane shortages, delayed shipments and the damaged rail infrastructure and says: “At present, there are various challenges affecting London Gateway Port (LGP), which are having an impact on hauliers collecting containers from the port, leading to potential implications for clients, including delays and possible surcharges.”
It adds: “Operation Stack is currently being implemented most mornings. This queuing system, situated outside the port area, is causing drivers to experience delays of at least an hour before gaining entry.
“Furthermore, hauliers are reporting extended waiting times, on occasions exceeding five hours on the quay for containers. These disruptions are significantly impacting vehicle revenues, as drivers are frequently losing valuable time at the port, missing follow-up jobs, and facing difficulties in securing daily reloads.
”Hauliers are requesting greater flexibility from delivery points to accommodate late deliveries. Late deliveries that are rejected and need to be rebooked due to Gateway port delays may incur a full wasted journey charge.
“Hauliers have informed us about the introduction, or proposed introduction, of a Gateway surcharge to help address the challenges their businesses are experiencing due to delays at LG.”
In a similar post listing the Port’s operational challenges, Kuehne and Nagel said that London Gateway was not the only port suffering delays.
“The whole North Europe region has been grappling with extended delays caused by labour action in Antwerp, rail delays and backlogs at the port of Hamburg, and low water levels in the Rhine,” it adds.
Shipping firm Logicall has also posted advice for customers using London Gateway. It states: “Hauliers are experiencing delays of up to five hours on the quay, resulting in missed follow-up jobs and reduced fleet efficiency.
“These delays are not isolated and are already having knock-on effects on container availability, onward delivery planning, and costs.”
The company adds that it is “working closely with our haulier partners to manage the situation, but customers should be aware of the following potential impacts” and warns of possible late deliveries and advises customers to allow greater flexibility at receiving sites.
It also warns that if a container cannot be delivered as scheduled and has to be rebooked, a wasted journey fee may apply and that “some hauliers are introducing surcharges to offset the financial strain caused by long delays at the port.”
The company said it is working with its network of merchant hauliers to mitigate disruption, prioritise urgent cargo, and minimise additional costs but added that “challenges at London Gateway may persist for several weeks as the port clears its backlog.”
International shipping agency Beckchoice has also posted a warning to customers of potential delays and of surcharges being imposed by “multiple hauliers.”
It states: “London Gateway has recently experienced power outages, reportedly linked to the hot weather, which result in temporary closure of the port.
“In addition to this, there have been frequent crane failures, severe delays and reduced service levels further impacting operations and turnaround times.
“These challenges at London Gateway are also leading to considerable additional costs, as multiple hauliers have now introduced surcharges of £150 per container collected from and delivered to the port.
“This measure is intended to help offset the significant costs being incurred as a result of these ongoing disruptions.”
Motor Transport understands that normal service levels have resumed this week following the electricity outage, which had required manual intervention on deliveries and collections and longer truck turnaround times.
To rectify the issue, DP World extended Vehicle Booking System (VBS) tolerances to keep truck appointments live and introduced traffic flow diversions to safely manage truck volumes inside the terminal.
