Heavy snow linked to an Arctic outbreak is paralysing Europe on 5 January:

• Schiphol (Amsterdam) cancels hundreds of flights and halts trains around the Dutch capital

• Paris’ two main airports cut arrivals/departures and suspend bus lines

• Eurostar services to/from the U.K. are halted or delayed en masse

Kuehne+Nagel warns that Nordic ports are under siege: snow accumulation, ice sheets and sub-zero temperatures are hitting road, rail and barge alike, causing delays and shutdowns at terminals and freight yards across the region.

  Multiple ports face operational challenges  

Hapag-Lloyd has outlined the operational challenges now facing German ports:

1、Hamburg

• Eurogate terminal: all operations (vessel and landside) remain suspended since the morning of Saturday, 3 January.

• CTA terminal (HHLA): operations halted on the morning of 3 January. Vessel handling has resumed but at significantly reduced speed; rail and truck services are also running again but with lower efficiency.

• CTT terminal (HHLA): rail and truck transport are still suspended as of Saturday morning; vessel operations continue but are progressing slowly.

2、Wilhelmshaven
Eurogate terminal: cargo handling is experiencing minor disruptions; no complete stoppage has occurred.

3、Bremerhaven
Eurogate and NTB Bremerhaven terminals: freight movements are subject to minor disruptions; operations have not been fully suspended.

4、Rotterdam
ECT Delta terminal: all operations are suspended until further notice; truck drivers are advised to avoid the terminal.

       As of 5 January, the Port of Antwerp has not reported any major operational restrictions. Snow and freezing conditions are expected to persist in the coming days, so delays, disruptions and operational restrictions are likely to continue.

       Additionally, MSC Mediterranean Shipping has announced that, effective 15 January 2026, freight rates from all Far East ports (including, but not limited to, Japan, South Korea and South-East Asian ports) to North Europe, the Mediterranean region (West Med, East Med, Adriatic and North Africa) and Black Sea ports will be revised upwards by USD 100-300 compared with early-January levels, with the maximum rate reaching USD 8,200.

  Flight cancellation  

       Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, was closed until 12:00 GMT on the 5th because of heavy snow. About 700 flights were cancelled that day, and inbound aircraft were diverted to alternate airports.

       A KLM spokesperson said on the 5th that, owing to the cold snap and continuing snowfall, at least 300 further KLM flights scheduled for the 6th at Schiphol would also be cancelled. "There are long queues here," a stranded passenger told local media, adding that "the situation is still unclear."

       Meanwhile, Groupe ADP, which operates Paris airports, said that France’s civil-aviation authority had ordered airlines to cut take-offs and landings by 15 % at both Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly; the measure remained in force until the evening of the 5th. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said some 250 snow-clearing vehicles were on standby at the two airports and urged travellers to check their flight status before leaving home. Snow also caused cancellations at several airports in Sweden and the United Kingdom.

   The bus service has been suspended   

       Heavy snow has not only grounded flights but also paralysed European surface transport; ice and snow on roads have already caused multiple traffic accidents.

Tabarot has ordered the speed limit on roads in the Île-de-France region around Paris cut to 80 km/h. RATP, which operates public transport in the capital, says dozens of bus lines have been suspended.

       Data from the Île-de-France authority show the total length of traffic jams approached 1,000 km at one point—far above the usual peak of about 300 km.

Netherlands Railways says all trains around Amsterdam are stopped and public transport in many areas is severely disrupted; it plans to introduce a "winter timetable" on 6 January with far fewer services.

       Eurostar announced that trains bound for the Netherlands will terminate in Brussels; all departures from the Netherlands on 5 January are cancelled, six London-Paris services are axed and several others delayed.

       In the U.K., snowploughs have been deployed in Scotland to clear snow-covered tracks; Tomintoul in north-east Scotland recorded 52 cm of snow on the morning of 5 January.

  Continued impact  

A severe cold snap is sweeping much of Europe.

• Near the Czech-German border, forested areas recorded –30.6 °C

• Austria’s weather service issued a cold-wave alert for western parts, forecasting –17 °C on 6 Jan

• Heavy snow cut several villages in Bosnia and Romania off from the outside world

The UK Met Office issued snow-and-ice warnings for Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England for 5–6 Jan, saying:

“Most of the UK will again drop below 0 °C overnight; in snow-covered areas lows could reach –12 °C.”

Authorities said 212 schools in Northern Ireland closed on 5 Jan, with dozens more shut in Scotland, Wales and northern England.

Météo-France issued an ice-and-snow orange alert for north-west France, including Paris, on the evening of 5 Jan, predicting sub-zero nights and daytime highs only just above 0 °C on 6 Jan.

With the cold wave set to linger, expect further transport delays, cancellations and operating restrictions across Europe in the coming days. Exporters should watch scheduled loading/unloading slots and cut-off times, and keep customers informed in advance.