Summary: Persistent congestion at Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges ports extends into late October 2025, with average vessel waiting times reaching 48-72 hours. Red Sea diversions and labor shortages create bottlenecks handling 3.5 million TEU backlog across both ports. Terminal capacity constraints force carriers to skip port calls, diverting vessels to Hamburg and Bremerhaven as alternatives. Port authorities implement priority berthing for time-sensitive cargo. Extended delays of 5-7 days for containers arriving at Rotterdam and Antwerp affect Belgium, Netherlands, and German warehouse operations. Recommend planning 2-week buffer for inventory replenishment from Asia. Consider direct calls to Hamburg or rail connections via Antwerp to bypass congestion. Storage costs increase as containers face extended dwell times.