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Newsletter 17 April 2026

In 2026, shortsea shipping lines have made rapid progress in joining the Secure Chain. Four shipping lines are currently live. These are, in order, CMA CGM Short Sea Lines Intra North Europe, Boluda Lines, Mann Lines and Sea-Cargo Agencies. They now only release containers arriving in Rotterdam at Rotterdam Shortsea Terminals and Matrans Rotterdam Terminal securely and reliably via the new method – without a PIN code. The four shipping lines/ship agents mentioned have informed their customers of the change in the release process and asked them to prepare for this together with their supply chain partners.

Seven additional shortsea shipping lines are currently taking part in a pilot at their own pace. Read here which companies these are. As soon as they have completed their preparations, they too will contact their customers to make the switch together.

In the meantime, initial discussions are already underway with the remaining shortsea shipping lines and terminals. The ultimate aim is for the entire shortsea sector in the port of Rotterdam to embrace the Secure Chain.

Boluda Lines is among the first shortsea shipping lines to go live with the Secure Chain. The company has no doubt whatsoever about the importance of participation. “For the safety of all parties involved and to simplify procedures, the Secure Chain simply needs to be implemented throughout the entire shortsea sector.”
Read more in the interview.

Since last year, the Seaport Police, Customs and Harbour Master have been emphasising the importance of the shortsea sector’s participation in the Secure Chain as well, just as they previously did for deepsea shipping. Jan Janse, who recently stepped down as Head of the Seaport Police Rotterdam: “Criminals always look for the weakest link. We know that routes are shifting, so we must remain alert to these high-risk lanes. If you are not resilient as a shortsea shipping line, you can quickly become a target.”

Harbour Master René de Vries adds: “A container from South America can first go to Le Havre and then to Rotterdam. That officially makes the origin ‘European,’ but in reality, it remains a high-risk container from South America.” For Peter van Buijtenen, Regional Director of Customs for the port of Rotterdam, the answer is clear: “I call on all parties in Rotterdam to join the Secure Chain. This would provide Rotterdam with a unified, secure and reliable operational approach.”

In the deepsea sector, Müller Liner Agencies is now also participating in the Secure Chain as the representative of Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) in Rotterdam. The ship agent only releases this shipping line's containers digitally, securely and reliably, without a PIN code. Müller Liner Agencies' participation is another step towards full Secure Chain coverage for incoming deepsea traffic. Thanks to the earlier participation of the 12 largest deepsea shipping lines and ship agents, 95% of this goal was already achieved last year.

The Secure Chain is just one of many projects under the banner of the Port Alliance Rotterdam aimed at making Rotterdam’s port more resilient. To this end, the social media campaign 'Stay low, say no!' was recently launched. The campaign calls on port employees to remain vigilant against criminal recruiters. Keeping a low profile and saying 'no' is the best way to keep these parties at bay. Campaign materials are available for companies to raise awareness of the issue and encourage discussion in the workplace. Read all about it on the website www.rotterdamsehavenveiligehaven.nl.

The Secure Chain is a joint initiative of governments and businesses aimed at making the port logistics chains more resilient in digital terms. The safe and reliable clearance and pickup of import containers in the Dutch ports is an important part of this. This starts in Rotterdam.

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