Labour Weekend - 27th October 2025

We have been informed by our agents in the Netherlands and Belgium that industrial actions are currently impacting vessel schedules and cargo movements across Europe. Lashers at the Port of Rotterdam have this week commenced strike action demanding higher wages. All container loading/unloading operations were temporarily suspended earlier in the week, creating operational backlogs and vessel arrival/departure delays. Harbour Pilots at Port of Antwerp-Bruges are protesting against pension reforms. Vessel arrivals/departures have seen significant disruption due to reduce pilotage capacity. Major shipping lines have advised that delays are currently 2-3 days across the affected ports. We are monitoring affected cargo accordingly. If you have any concerns regarding specific cargo, please reach out to the Hobbs Global Team.

As advised back in June, Ports of Auckland have now confirmed and pushed through their price schedule for implementation of the first part of their VBS (Vehicle Booking System) Fee increases effective 1st January 2026. These increases will see sizeable hikes in VBS charges across the board, with intent to encourage carriers towards off-peak collections and operational cost recovery. Customers will see container cartage costs increase accordingly as of 1st January to recover these increases. Please get in touch with the Hobbs Global Team to discuss how we can better navigate your freight forwarding process to help minimize these costs where possible. Full pricing can be viewed under 'Receival and Delivery' at: Price schedules | Port of Auckland For details of our original post in June, see: Port of Auckland VBS Fee Increase - Hobbs Global