As if that wasn’t enough, thousands of containers assigned to Russian customers block the world’s ports, awaiting sorting

While it took weeks for goods to be delivered by ocean to reach their destination, sanctions on Russian economic operators were even faster. As a result, no less than 4,500 containers are currently blocking the Port of Rotterdam, one of the busiest in the world, and it could take weeks for the paperwork induced by the new requirements to be resolved. Furthermore, containers stopped in transit could further block the free movement of goods, creating a nightmare for both transport companies and their customers.

“You have to isolate, distinguish and physically inspect each container before it can be released,” Dutch port CEO Allard Castelein told Bloomberg reporters. “This exercise creates constraints on the value chain in terms of physical space, labor and time,” he added.

Earlier this month, the European Union expanded its list of sanctions against Russia to restrict exports of luxury goods. In March, the United States announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, a measure that has not been taken over by European countries in terms of energy imports (eg natural gas).

About 10% of ships calling at the port of Rotterdam are somehow connected to Russia, mainly through energy imports. A key cargo hub for Europe, the Port of Rotterdam imports about 30% of its Russian crude oil, along with other goods that will continue to block container receiving terminals. Thus, if the port authorities fail to find additional storage space in a timely manner, we could say that the excess of Russian containers is an unforeseen facet of the economic war already waged with Russia, which could block or delay the takeover of other essential goods, such as be the deliveries of imported cars and electronics.