Logistics is complex, with many moving parts, tight schedules, and partners who must stay aligned across borders every day. When incidents arrive without warning, plans unravel, schedules slip, costs climb, and customers are left waiting, which is why timely situational awareness is the difference between control and chaos. Sea Sentinel AI turns noisy global signals into clear, actionable foresight so teams can see risk early, adjust routes, and keep cargo moving with confidence. Beyond headlines, the platform shows which exact vessels are affected and when. What follows is a brief snapshot of current and emerging disruptions, a small window into a much larger real time dataset monitored continuously.

Review

Rotterdam and Antwerp Strikes

Two major European ports are currently being heavily disrupted by major labour actions.

Lashers in Rotterdam launched a 48-hour strike beginning Wednesday afternoon, October 8, halting container operations across all major terminals including APM Terminals Maasvlakte II, Hutchinson Ports Delta II, ECT Delta, and Rotterdam World Gateway. The action by International Lashing Services and Matrans Marine Services over wage disputes prevented loading and unloading of vessels, swelling the typical six-to-seven ship queue to 13 vessels by Thursday. Negotiations between FNV union and employers were scheduled for Friday noon, with the strike set to extend through the weekend if talks fail.

Concurrent disruptions hit Antwerp-Bruges as Flemish harbor pilots initiated indefinite work-to-rule action on October 5 in protest of federal pension reforms, restricting pilotage assignments to office hours between 08:00 and 17:00 local time. The slowdown cut throughput from the usual 60–80 vessels daily to just 31 ships on Tuesday, with over 100 vessels waiting by Wednesday and some carriers rerouting cargo to alternative ports.

Port of Long Beach WWII Ordnance

Construction crews unearthed a World War II-era explosive shell at Pier G on Wednesday morning, October 8, prompting immediate terminal evacuation and halting cargo movement. The Long Beach police and fire departments, U.S. Coast Guard, L.A. County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad, and a U.S. Marine Corps ordnance disposal team responded to assess the device. After determining it was safe to transport, the Marine Corps team moved the explosive off-site for deactivation, and the terminal resumed normal operations by Wednesday night.

The discovery marks yet another unusual incident at the apparently cursed Pier G, which saw 67 containers crash off the cargo ship Mississippi into the harbor just one month earlier on September 9.

Philippines Earthquakes

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Cebu Province on September 30, rendering at least three seaports non-operational and stranding 214 passengers, with the Cebu Port Authority immediately restricting terminal access pending structural assessments. Cebu International Port resumed full operations by late morning October 1 after inspections confirmed all gantry cranes were operational.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck offshore near Davao Oriental on October 10, prompting tsunami warnings and immediate coastal evacuations, though port-specific disruptions were not reported beyond precautionary closures during the tsunami alert window.

Tropical Storm Raymond

Tropical Storm Raymond forced the closure of Puerto de Lázaro Cárdenas—Mexico’s largest Pacific seaport and second-largest container gateway, handling 1.27 million TEU in the first half of 2025—with navigation suspended for all vessels as a safety measure. The Regional Port Captaincy issued nautical notices citing heavy rainfall, development of squalls and waterspouts, high seas with waves reaching 7–9 feet, and ingress of seawater into low-lying areas.

Preview

Port of Barcelona Strike Uncertainty

On October 15, 2025, Barcelona's USTP port workers' union will hold a two-hour strike to protest the arrival of the ZIM VIRGINIA, a vessel allegedly carrying military cargo for Israel. The union accuses the Spanish government of failing to enforce its stated arms embargo, calling it "worthless paper."

However, a newly announced peace deal for the Gaza Strip may change the trajectory of this protest.

Corpus Christi Channel Closure

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel faces a planned 36-hour operational closure beginning at 15:00 local time on October 19 for the controlled lowering of the old Harbor Bridge's main span onto barges. Given the long planning horizon for the port operations, no major delays are expected.

Continued European Port Disruptions

Rotterdam lashers may extend their strike into the weekend if Friday negotiations fail to resolve wage disputes, while Antwerp's indefinite pilot work-to-rule action shows no immediate signs of resolution. Both actions threaten prolonged congestion across Europe's two busiest container gateways, with vessels unable to divert between the neighboring ports as both face simultaneous operational constraints.