yoy = year on year
Next steps
The next step is to review the pilot results with the Feeder Taskforce and the wider community to assess readiness for broader collaboration. At the same time, the Call Announcement Project provides the foundation for integrated berth planning. Completing the pilot and moving toward controlled, shared transparency will benefit the entire port ecosystem!
Lessons learned
PANKAJ THAKUR, PORT CAPTION FOR NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM OPERATIONS AT X-PRESS FEEDERS
'Sharing data and fostering close collaboration are essential—enabling reduced waiting times, improved reliability, and delivering a consistent, dependable product to customers and liners across the entire port ecosystem.'
All parties agreed there is potential to improve feeder berth planning through enhanced data sharing, supported by a dedicated optimisation tool.
The pilot also revealed challenges: not all operational details were included, such as vessel rotations, flexibility and restrictions. Closing these gaps will require stronger collaboration and practical agreements.
Collaboration works best when paired with transparency. Sharing berth plans — even through secure tools — enables better coordination and fairer outcomes. To reach our common goal of smarter berth planning for the feeder sector, commitment from all stakeholders is essential. This means close cooperation at operational level and clear backing from senior management.
A first step for feeders
To address this community challenge, the idea emerged to launch a pilot within the Feeder Taskforce—a working group of terminals and feeder operators focused on process improvement through operational cooperation. Two terminal operators (ECT and RWG) and two feeder operators (Unifeeder and X-Press Feeders) participated in the pilot. A solution provider with proven experience in the airline sector joined to bring a fresh perspective.
The pilot began with conceptual discussions about the complexity of feeder operations, the improvement potential for stakeholders, and how this potential could be realized. All participants shared operational data to test an optimisation tool that generates berth planning advice based on vessel ETA/ETD and other operational parameters. Terminals could block parts of the berth or lock deepsea vessels to limit the tool’s freedom. The tool can be configured for different strategies, such as how to distribute waiting time reductions across stakeholders. It also allows participants to accept or reject recommendations, ensuring flexibility. The concept works best when multiple terminals participate, enabling network-wide optimisation rather than isolated improvements.
KEVIN VAN LEIJDEN, OPERATIONS MANAGER PREPLANNING & OPTIMISATION, ROTTERDAM WORLD GATEWAY
'Feeder rotations in Rotterdam are complex because vessels call multiple terminals that are not connected through a single planning system. Smarter integration between terminals is key to reducing delays and improving efficiency across the port.'
27,5 %
Total anchoring time for feeders decreased to 15.798 hours (16.623 hours in 2024).
This drop of 5% is lower than the decline in port calls of 10,3%.
Anchoring % remains stable
+ 44,5% yoy
12,9 h
Feeder in-port waiting time has increased despite less port calls and throughput.
Total waiting time increased by 29,6% yoy to 23.759 hours (18.335 in 2024).
Average in-port waiting time increases
- 10,3% yoy
1.838
Feeder port calls dropped to 1.838 in 2025 (from 2.049 in 2024, and 2.412 in 2023).
TEU also went down 5,6% yoy to 1.784.477.
Feeder port calls continue to decline
As part of its broader efforts to improve operational efficiency, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is exploring ways to address these waiting times. Pilots like this lay the groundwork for scalable solutions, building on initiatives such as Portbase’s Call Announcement pilot, which enables berth planning through the Port Community System.
Feeder vessels are vital links between deep‑sea services and regional ports. While deep‑sea schedule reliability improved by 12 points in 2025, remaining variability still impacts feeder rotations. Together with Rotterdam’s multi‑terminal calls and the absence of a shared planning system, this underscores the need for better coordination and controlled transparency.
As shown in the infographic below, average in-port waiting time for feeders has increased despite less port calls and throughput.
Scroll down
CASE STUDY 3
FEEDER AND BERTH PILOT
TOWARDS SMARTER BERTH PLANNING FOR ROTTERDAM'S FEEDER SECTOR
In 2025, the Port of Rotterdam Authority launched a pilot to improve feeder berth planning. Competing stakeholders were brought together to test joint planning in one of the most complex areas of port logistics. Together, we learned, experimented and discussed how digital tools can enable better coordination between terminals and feeder operators.
yoy = year on year
The next step is to review the pilot results with the Feeder Taskforce and the wider community to assess readiness for broader collaboration. At the same time, the Call Announcement Project provides the foundation for integrated berth planning. Completing the pilot and moving toward controlled, shared transparency will benefit the entire port ecosystem!
Next steps
PANKAJ THAKUR, PORT CAPTION FOR NETHERLANDS & BELGIUM OPERATIONS AT X-PRESS FEEDERS
'Sharing data and fostering close collaboration are essential—enabling reduced waiting times, improved reliability, and delivering a consistent, dependable product to customers and liners across the entire port ecosystem.'
All parties agreed there is potential to improve feeder berth planning through enhanced data sharing, supported by a dedicated optimisation tool.
The pilot also revealed challenges: not all operational details were included, such as vessel rotations, flexibility and restrictions. Closing these gaps will require stronger collaboration and practical agreements.
Collaboration works best when paired with transparency. Sharing berth plans — even through secure tools — enables better coordination and fairer outcomes. To reach our common goal of smarter berth planning for the feeder sector, commitment from all stakeholders is essential. This means close cooperation at operational level and clear backing from senior management.
Lessons learned
To address this community challenge, the idea emerged to launch a pilot within the Feeder Taskforce—a working group of terminals and feeder operators focused on process improvement through operational cooperation. Two terminal operators (ECT and RWG) and two feeder operators (Unifeeder and X-Press Feeders) participated in the pilot. A solution provider with proven experience in the airline sector joined to bring a fresh perspective.
The pilot began with conceptual discussions about the complexity of feeder operations, the improvement potential for stakeholders, and how this potential could be realized. All participants shared operational data to test an optimisation tool that generates berth planning advice based on vessel ETA/ETD and other operational parameters. Terminals could block parts of the berth or lock deepsea vessels to limit the tool’s freedom. The tool can be configured for different strategies, such as how to distribute waiting time reductions across stakeholders. It also allows participants to accept or reject recommendations, ensuring flexibility. The concept works best when multiple terminals participate, enabling network-wide optimisation rather than isolated improvements.
A first step for feeders
KEVIN VAN LEIJDEN, OPERATIONS MANAGER PREPLANNING & OPTIMISATION, ROTTERDAM WORLD GATEWAY
'Feeder rotations in Rotterdam are complex because vessels call multiple terminals that are not connected through a single planning system. Smarter integration between terminals is key to reducing delays and improving efficiency across the port.'
As part of its broader efforts to improve operational efficiency, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is exploring ways to address these waiting times. Pilots like this lay the groundwork for scalable solutions, building on initiatives such as Portbase’s Call Announcement pilot, which enables berth planning through the Port Community System.
27,5 %
Total anchoring time for feeders decreased to 15.798 hours (16.623 hours in 2024).
This drop of 5% is lower than the decline in port calls of 10,3%.
Anchoring % remains stable
+ 44,5% yoy
12,9 h
Feeder in-port waiting time has increased despite less port calls and throughput.
Total waiting time increased by 29,6% yoy to 23.759 hours (18.335 in 2024).
Average in-port waiting time increases
- 10,3% yoy
1.838
Feeder port calls dropped to 1.838 in 2025 (from 2.049 in 2024, and 2.412 in 2023).
TEU also went down 5,6% yoy to 1.784.477.
Feeder port calls continue to decline
Feeder vessels are vital links between deep‑sea services and regional ports. While deep‑sea schedule reliability improved by 12 points in 2025, remaining variability still impacts feeder rotations. Together with Rotterdam’s multi‑terminal calls and the absence of a shared planning system, this underscores the need for better coordination and controlled transparency.
As shown in the infographic below, average in-port waiting time for feeders has increased despite less port calls and throughput.
CASE STUDY 3
In 2025, the Port of Rotterdam Authority launched a pilot to improve feeder berth planning. Competing stakeholders were brought together to test joint planning in one of the most complex areas of port logistics. Together, we learned, experimented and discussed how digital tools can enable better coordination between terminals and feeder operators.