International shipment delays are rarely caused by one single point of failure. They can be the result of documentation errors, regulatory miscues, geopolitical shifts, extreme weather, capacity constraints, or simple miscommunication across too many handoffs.
Here’s what drives international shipment delays, and what smart shippers can do about it.
For example, a discrepancy in the item count between the commercial invoice and the bill of lading can slow things up and result in a fine. And something like dirty used lawn equipment being shipped from the US to Europe with residual grass clippings and soil opens the door to agricultural lab testing for pests and bacteria – and more delays.
New shippers are often scrutinized more heavily. Inaccurate documentation increases the likelihood of inspection, which can uncover everything from improper pallets to bark on timber blocking materials.
“People who don’t do this very often make those types of mistakes,” explains Andrew Rozek, president of freight forwarder, I.C.E. Transport. “They’ll say, ‘What international pallet? I only know one kind of pallet.’”
International shipment delays often stem from misaligned responsibilities. “We see it quite often in cases where I.C.E. Transport doesn’t handle all legs of the transportation process,” Rozek said. “People don’t send documents or Importer Security Filing (ISF) instructions on time, triggering delays or an ISF late filing fee.”
When multiple companies handle ocean freight, inland trucking, and customs clearance separately, documentation gaps are common. A main advantage to using a single logistics partner is that the paperwork is all in house. Documents just travel from one office to the next on a single system.
Consolidate service providers when possible. If using multiple partners, clearly assign documentation responsibilities and confirm submission deadlines.
While congestion isn’t at 2022 levels, structural changes at ports have created new friction. Many U.S. terminals now operate under truck appointment systems. Appointments may open only days in advance and fill quickly. If a trucker can’t secure a slot, containers sit, even if free time has expired.
“If a port is busier than normal, the appointments run out,” Rozek said. “Your container arrives, your trucker cannot get an appointment for a few days, and that’s a delay.”
Here’s a list of US ports using appointment systems for container pickup and dropoff:
Both facilities have mandatory or advanced truck appointment systems for import and other container transactions.
The Oakland International Container Terminal and other Oakland operators require appointments for most import container pickups.
Port Everglades Terminal has implemented a truck appointment system via the eModal platform covering import, export and empty container movements.
Under the PierPass program, numerous container terminals require appointments for import, export and increasingly empty container transactions, with a coordinated appointment framework across terminals.
Work with drayage partners (or the coordinating freight forwarders) who actively monitor appointment availability and book immediately upon release.
The recently reset ocean carrier alliances continue to adjust their networks. “They’re still redoing their port calls,” Rozek said. “The chaos persists.” Some carriers have simply extended their published transit times, helping improve on-time performance, at least on paper. Also, transit times can vary significantly by alliance, even on identical lanes.
Compare not just rates, but reliability metrics. Published transit time isn’t the whole story.
Since December 2023, when Houthi rebels in Yemen started attacking vessels in the Suez Canal, ocean lines have largely avoided the passage and sailed around the tip of South Africa, adding a week or more of transit time. Not every conflict shuts down a trade lane outright; sometimes the disruption is subtler.
While the Russia-Ukraine war hasn’t dramatically affected core lanes between the US and Europe, ripple effects occur. According Rozek of I.C.E. Transport, “A lot of companies just don’t want to venture into Ukraine. Shipping lines may refuse to release containers destined for Ukraine if they fear equipment won’t return. In those cases, cargo must be unloaded in a neighboring country like Poland and reloaded onto a truck willing to cross the border.”
Each additional handoff introduces the potential for international shipment delays, and additional costs and risks. Meanwhile, longer routings around Africa have added transit time and vessel bunching at downstream ports. Shippers must adjust production schedules and inventory planning accordingly.
Build extra lead time into schedules when geopolitical risk is elevated. Work with forwarders who monitor carrier routing changes proactively.
Harsh winter conditions in Northern Europe and the Baltic region have recently caused congestion, port slowdowns, and inland trucking challenges.
Weather disruptions may seem temporary, but they create backlogs that take weeks to unwind. A snowstorm in Rotterdam can delay vessel departures, which then impact U.S. port arrivals and drayage availability.
Monitor seasonal risk patterns in your trade lanes and adjust booking timelines accordingly. Avoid tight delivery windows during high-risk weather months.
Each country has unique import rules, and overlooking them can be costly. For instance, Europe requires CE certification for certain products. The U.S. requires FDA registration for many food products, and not just for the importer.
“We just had a shipment of tea leaves to a US importer,” Rozek said. “Everybody that touches that tea along the way has to be registered, except the grower.” If any entity in the chain lacks proper registration, a shipment can be delayed, refused, or returned to origin.
Verify licensing, certifications, and registrations before cargo ships. Never assume compliance based on domestic standards.
Random inspections at the arrival port are a fact of international trade. Some are agriculture-related; others are tied to security programs. For instance, wood flooring being shipped from Europe to an East Coast port can be held for a random pest inspection by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), leading to a delay of a week or more plus port storage charges.
Increased tariff enforcement has added another layer. For steel and aluminum imports, US Customs now requires disclosure of both the product’s origin and the origin of the raw material. Failure to provide accurate sourcing information can trigger closer scrutiny.
Maintain full supply chain transparency, particularly for regulated commodities like steel, aluminum, and agricultural products.
The most powerful mitigation tool to combat international shipment delays isn’t a single tactic, but experience and visibility. When you’re working with one global logistics partner coordinating everything on your behalf, the odds are better that you will not only save money by leveraging shipping volume for better rates, but also gain efficiency and accuracy from having all the data for documentation under one roof.
I.C.E. Transport constantly monitors carrier performance trends across its customer base. Recently, the team proactively shifted bookings from one carrier to another after noticing schedule slippage in a specific lane. “We’re seeing the trend as it arises,” Rozek says. “By the time you read about it somewhere, it’s already happened.”
Experience also matters at the equipment level. “I know that 20-foot containers are pretty rare in Minneapolis right now,” Rozek said. “For that reason, I told a client it may be easier to take two 40-foot containers instead of a 20-foot and a 40-foot container if you want things to move quicker.”
That kind of real-time lane knowledge comes from volume and repetition. The more bookings a freight forwarder has on a certain lane, the greater the more likely they are to recognize challenges and opportunities.
International shipping delays are inevitable but they are not unpredictable. Geopolitics, weather, compliance gaps, miscommunication, port systems, and alliance reshuffling all play a role. The difference between disruption and disaster is preparation.
Shippers who understand the risks, verify documentation, monitor compliance, consolidate communication, and work with experienced partners are far less likely to be surprised.
In global trade, delays don’t happen in isolation, but through a complex interplay of related factors. The goal isn’t eliminating every disruption but staying one step ahead of the next one.
I.C.E. Transport, with nearly 40 years’ experience in international shipping logistics, is a licensed Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) with offices in New Jersey, the UK and Poland. This experience, combined with longstanding network connections to ocean lines, alliances, and trucking firms in the US and Europe, can help you avoid the pitfalls that lead to international shipment delays. To learn more, contact our expert team today.