The Ketchup Effect

The Ketchup Effect

The Ketchup Effect

The Ketchup effect is the Swedish term used by the port of Gothenburg meant to describe the upcoming avalanche of containers set to flood European ports in the coming weeks. The cause is the freeing of the 20,388 TEU Ever Given that has blocked the key trade artery linking Asia and Europe together.

The Ketchup effect, as you can image, refers to a situation where not much happened for a long time and then all of the sudden a lot happens at once, similar to trying to get ketchup out of a bottle.

The delays and congestion will most likely also impact the availability of containers in Asia, due to the fact that empty containers do not return back in time. Costs worldwide due to the blockage can lead up to hundreds of millions of euros.

The Ketchup Effect

The Ketchup effect is the Swedish term used by the port of Gothenburg meant to describe the upcoming avalanche of containers set to flood European ports in the coming weeks. The cause is the freeing of the 20,388 TEU Ever Given that has blocked the key trade artery linking Asia and Europe together.


The Ketchup effect, as you can image, refers to a situation where not much happened for a long time and then all of the sudden a lot happens at once, similar to trying to get ketchup out of a bottle.

The delays and congestion will most likely also impact the availability of containers in Asia, due to the fact that empty containers do not return back in time. Costs worldwide due to the blockage can lead up to hundreds of millions of euros.