The past year has tested supply chains in ways few predicted. Port backlogs across Europe and Asia collided with climate shocks on key waterways, while geopolitical flashpoints and shifting United States tariffs reshaped routes, costs, and lead times.
British and European freight forwarders have responded with a blend of practical tactics and digital tools, keeping sea freight, air freight, road haulage, and rail freight moving in spite of rolling disruption. The result is a more adaptive, data-led model of logistics that prizes optionality over rigid networks.
Port Congestion and Adaptive Strategies
Northern Europe’s main gateways have experienced significant congestion, with berth waiting times rising sharply in Antwerp, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven in the spring of 2025, according to Drewry analysis. The knock-on effects have cascaded to Asia and the United States, as carriers reshuffled services and equipment pools. Forwarders have responded by spreading volumes across secondary ports, arranging off-dock storage, and leaning on real-time visibility to retime truck and barge flows. Prioritisation of urgent containers now happens through closer collaboration with shipping lines and terminal operators, supported by data on vessel ETAs and yard density. Air freight has served as a safety valve for the most time-sensitive cargo when ocean schedules slipped.
Climate Related Delays, Weathering the Storm
Climate volatility has moved from background risk to day-to-day planning input. The Panama Canal’s drought reduced transit capacity in 2023 and 2024, forcing booking limits and longer queues, which in turn nudged some sea freight across alternative routes and schedules. Inland Europe also felt the strain, as the Rhine’s extreme high and low water episodes curtailed barge capacity and complicated onward distribution from North Sea hubs. Forwarders now pair seasonal playbooks with live hydrological and meteorological feeds, pre-book canal slots where possible, staging inventory closer to customers, and switching to rail or road when inland waterways falter.
Political Instability and Contingency Planning
Security risk around the Bab el Mandeb and Red Sea has diverted hundreds of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding roughly ten to fourteen days to Asia to Europe voyages and tightening global capacity. The detour has increased fuel consumption, driven up freight rates, and shifted transhipment pressure to alternative hubs. In this environment, leading forwarders run scenario plans that assume rolling closures, sanctions, or port stoppages, then build lane playbooks that can pivot to different routings and modes within hours. For high-value or perishable goods, air freight and sea-air combinations have helped to reduce lead times while maintaining budget control.
Tariff Turbulence, Navigating the New Trade Reality
Tariff policy has become a moving target. The United States expanded Section 301 measures in 2024, with steep increases on strategic categories such as electric vehicles, solar cells, certain steel and aluminium products, and later, specific tungsten and polysilicon items. For British and European shippers that sell into the United States, or that import American inputs, the new rates have altered landed costs and prompted hurried reclassification, valuation checks, and, in some cases, re-routing of supply to alternative origins. Forwarders have accelerated digital customs clearance, used automated classification tools to reduce errors, and structured consolidations for small and medium-sized enterprises to manage duty spikes.
Building Lasting Resilience
Technology sits at the centre of resilience. Predictive analytics help estimate dwell times by port and week, guiding booking windows for sea freight and the choice between full container loads and less than container loads. Network planning models test alternative routings and modal splits, for example, a rail and road combination from the Adriatic when North Sea gateways are saturated, or sea air via the Gulf when Red Sea risk rises. Cloud based platforms give shippers and consignees shared visibility on milestones, exceptions, and carbon intensity. After a record year for air cargo demand in 2024, driven in part by e-commerce and ocean disruption, forwarders are integrating air capacity planning into quarterly reviews so that customers can move quickly when service levels degrade on the water. Training programmes on sanctions screening, export controls, and rules of origin round out the toolkit.
Practical Playbook for British and European Shippers
To strengthen resilience against ongoing global supply chain disruptions, shippers and forwarders can follow these key strategies:
- Diversify gateways
Pair core North Europe ports with at least one Mediterranean or Atlantic alternative, and preapprove cross docking partners to maintain velocity. - Diversify modes
Keep a standing option for air freight uplift on critical SKUs, and maintain relationships for block space or charter access during peak seasons. - Diversify suppliers
Dual source where feasible, and keep technical files ready for quick vendor onboarding in compliant jurisdictions. - Plan inventories
Hold safety stock in regional facilities for the most volatile lanes, while using vendor managed inventory or bonded warehousing to manage cash and duty exposure. - Measure what matters
Track reliability by lane, not only price, so routing decisions reflect both risk and cost.
Conclusion, Opportunities in Adversity
Disruption is not receding; it is becoming the operating climate. Yet forwarders have shown that a blend of transparency, flexible routing, and disciplined compliance can convert volatility into advantage. By partnering with adaptive providers, British exporters and importers can protect service levels across sea freight, air freight, road, and rail, improve total landed cost visibility, and build a supply chain that bends without breaking. The lesson is clear, resilience is not a project with an end date, it is a set of habits, tools, and relationships that keep cargo flowing when the world refuses to stand still.
