IN Brief:
- London Gateway stopped accepting empty containers from 08:00 GMT on 11 November, following an earlier restriction lifted on 4 November.
- Maersk identifies Pentalver London Gateway, Tilbury, and Felixstowe as possible alternative return locations, subject to individual instructions and capacity.
- The restriction is expected to continue for most of the week, but no confirmed resumption date or wider suspension of loaded-container operations has been announced.
A.P. Moller – Maersk has confirmed another suspension of empty-container acceptance at London Gateway, with the restriction taking effect at 08:00 GMT on 11 November. The shipping line has instructed hauliers to consult its current equipment return directions before dispatching empty containers, identifying alternative facilities that may be used where authorised and subject to available capacity.
The restriction follows an interruption earlier in November, when empty returns were suspended from midday on 2 November before resuming on 4 November. The latest notice therefore represents a new change in operating conditions after acceptance had been restored. Maersk expects the disruption to continue for most of the week but has not announced a confirmed date for normal empty-container returns to resume.
Pentalver London Gateway, Tilbury, and Felixstowe are identified as possible alternative return locations. Their use depends on instructions issued through MATS Online, Maersk’s equipment return information system, and remains subject to weather conditions and space availability. The carrier has not authorised hauliers to treat the three locations as unrestricted substitutes for London Gateway.
The distinction is important because return instructions can vary according to the equipment involved and the commercial arrangements governing its movement. A container may need to be returned to a designated depot, while a location able to accept one equipment type may not be accepting another. Transport operators must therefore establish the correct destination before dispatch rather than relying on the availability of a facility alone.
Maersk’s latest advisory concerns empty-container acceptance specifically. It does not establish that London Gateway has closed to laden containers, suspended all vessel calls, or stopped its wider terminal operations. No port-wide shutdown has been announced through the carrier’s notice, and the underlying cause of the empty-container restriction has not been disclosed.
Empty equipment forms a substantial part of container logistics because the movement of freight continues after imported goods have been delivered. Once a container has been unloaded at a customer’s premises, it must normally be returned to a nominated facility or made available for another authorised movement. The receiving location records the equipment and may arrange inspection, storage, maintenance, or repositioning before the container’s next use.
Those movements require coordination between shipping lines, hauliers, depots, and customers. Transport planners frequently arrange the return while scheduling the original import delivery, allowing the same vehicle to complete a connected sequence of tasks. A change to the nominated return location can alter that sequence, particularly when the alternative facility is farther from the unloading point or requires a different appointment.
Felixstowe, for example, represents a different geographical option from facilities in the Thames Estuary. Whether its use is practical will depend on the location of the empty container, the return instructions issued by Maersk, and the transport operation’s other commitments. The carrier has not published additional mileage, haulage costs, or journey time estimates associated with the present restrictions.
Container depots must also manage the rate at which equipment arrives and leaves. Space is needed for stacking or positioning empty units, while handling equipment and personnel are required to receive containers and make them available for subsequent collection. Where diverted containers arrive faster than existing stock can be released, alternative facilities may face their own capacity constraints.
The availability of empty-container storage is therefore separate from the availability of vehicle access or handling equipment. A depot may be operational but unable to accept additional units of a particular type, while another location may have capacity subject to appointment requirements. MATS Online provides the current carrier instructions needed to determine the permitted return location before a vehicle begins its journey.
The November notices show why earlier routing instructions should not automatically be reused. During the suspension beginning on 2 November, Maersk identified Pentalver London Gateway, Tilbury, and Southampton as potential alternatives. After announcing that empty acceptance had resumed on 4 November, the company issued the new 11 November restriction with Felixstowe listed instead of Southampton.
Hauliers working from an earlier notice could therefore direct equipment to a location no longer identified in the current advisory. The latest instructions take precedence, and individual returns remain subject to the conditions shown in the equipment management system. A facility appearing in the advisory does not guarantee that a container dispatched without authorisation will be accepted on arrival.
London Gateway is an important entry point for containerised imports and exports serving the UK market. Its maritime operations are connected with inland haulage, container storage, and distribution activity. Empty-container returns form part of that wider equipment cycle, linking the completion of an import movement with the next shipment or repositioning requirement.
Disruption to the return process can affect vehicle scheduling even where the import delivery itself has been completed. A container awaiting an authorised destination may occupy a trailer or require temporary holding arrangements, while a haulier directed to another depot may have less time available for subsequent work. The extent of those consequences depends on the location, equipment, and transport contracts involved rather than applying uniformly to all containers.
The current restriction has also followed previous changes in acceptance conditions. Maersk lifted an October suspension on 26 October, reintroduced restrictions on 2 November, and confirmed normal acceptance on 4 November. The latest suspension creates another interruption in that sequence, with the company continuing to monitor the situation and issue further advice.
No technical explanation has been provided for the repeated restrictions. The available notices do not establish whether storage capacity, vessel scheduling, equipment availability, maintenance, or another operating factor is responsible. Attributing the closures to any one of those causes would go beyond the information currently released by the carrier.
Neither has Maersk provided the number of empty containers affected, the proportion diverted to alternative facilities, or a quantified impact on UK container haulage. The advisory establishes the operative restriction and the instructions governing returns, rather than measuring its effect on overall port throughput.
The immediate arrangement remains in force until further notice. Hauliers must consult MATS Online before dispatching empty equipment and use alternative destinations only where specifically permitted. Confirmation of resumed acceptance will be required before London Gateway can again be treated as the normal return location for affected containers.
