Latest procurement and supply chain signals
Ahold Delhaize confirms cyberattack, takes systems offline
High · technologie_cyber · 12 Oct 2026
Ahold Delhaize has confirmed that it took systems offline after a cyberattack. This gives a clear cause for the earlier outages at Albert Heijn, Etos and Gall & Gall. On the same day, NU.nl reported a cyberattack on hundreds of French supermarkets that caused refrigeration units to thaw.
Recommendation: If you supply Ahold Delhaize, check the status of orders, EDI links and outstanding invoices. Always verify changes to bank details or payment requests through a known contact. Ask maintenance contractors for refrigeration and building systems to confirm how they secure their remote access.
NCSC: high-risk flaws in HPE AOS-Switch networking
High · technologie_cyber · 12 Oct 2026
The Dutch NCSC is warning about multiple serious vulnerabilities in HPE Networking AOS-Switch and has classified them as high risk.
Recommendation: Check whether HPE AOS-Switches are in use, including at sites managed by third parties. Within a week, ask managed service providers for a confirmed patch schedule in line with the SLA.
EU sanctions major Russian shipyards
Medium · geopolitiek_handel · 12 Oct 2026
According to gCaptain, the European Union has imposed sanctions on some of Russia's most important shipyards. The move is part of a sweeping expansion of the sanctions measures.
Recommendation: Update sanctions screening with the newly listed entities and check whether suppliers, sub-suppliers and distributors deliver to Russian shipbuilding. Where needed, add end-user declarations and no-Russia clauses to existing contracts.
Gulf conflict escalates: five ships hit, Riyadh targeted
Medium · transport_supplychain · 12 Oct 2026
According to gCaptain, five more commercial vessels were struck in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Deadly Houthi attacks also hit Riyadh's main airport this weekend. At the same time, tanker rates are so high that heavy crude is piling up across the Americas.
Recommendation: Review fuel surcharge clauses with carriers, and ask insurers and forwarders for current war-risk premiums on Gulf-routed cargo. Secure diesel volumes for the coming months, but avoid long-term fixes at peak levels.
European gas price heading for multi-year high
Medium · energie_brandstoffen · 12 Oct 2026
According to OilPrice.com, Europe's main natural gas benchmark, the Dutch TTF, is heading for its highest level in several years. This is happening despite the so-called 'energy ceasefire'.
Recommendation: Map open, unhedged gas and power volumes for Q4 2026 and Q1 2027, and consider fixing them in staggered tranches. Also review the energy surcharge and indexation clauses in contracts with energy-intensive suppliers.
Components now 68% of laptop BOM: price rises loom
Medium · technologie_cyber · 12 Oct 2026
According to TrendForce, rising CPU, DRAM and SSD costs will make up 68% of the bill of materials for a mainstream laptop. Manufacturers will therefore have to raise prices or accept lower margins.
Recommendation: On existing framework agreements, ask how long prices are guaranteed and whether price review clauses are linked to component costs. Consider bringing forward or fixing now the refresh volumes planned for the coming quarters.
Brent down 1.5% after US-Russia diesel deal
Medium · energie_brandstoffen · 12 Oct 2026
Brent crude fell 1.5% on Monday morning, 12 October, following the diesel deal between the US and Russia. Trump said on 11 October that Russia and Ukraine had agreed an 'energy ceasefire', which according to OilPrice.com may only cover oil refineries.
Recommendation: Do not lock in long-term fuel contracts or hedges on the back of a single price dip. Do check that fuel surcharges in transport contracts pass on decreases with the same lag as increases.
IJssel open to two-way traffic again
Medium · transport_supplychain · 12 Oct 2026
One-way traffic on the IJssel between Arnhem and Zutphen has been lifted, Nieuwsblad Transport reported on 12 October. Vessels can, for now, sail in both directions again.
Recommendation: Check whether carriers on IJssel and Twentekanaal routes are still charging waiting-time or capacity surcharges, and reclaim them where the restriction no longer applies. Keep alternative-mode arrangements (road/rail) active, as the reopening is provisional.
Grid congestion keeps brick and glass makers on gas
Medium · energie_brandstoffen · 12 Oct 2026
According to NOS, many regional industrial companies cannot decarbonise because the electricity grid is full. Producers of glass and bricks, among others, therefore remain dependent on gas-fired kilns. On 27 October, hauliers, shippers, grid operators and policymakers will meet to discuss solutions to grid congestion for zero-emission road transport.
Recommendation: Check how energy indexation is structured in contracts for bricks, glass and other energy-intensive building materials, and whether falls in gas prices are also passed on. For your own electrification projects, establish grid-connection status and alternatives early, such as battery storage and flexible contracts.
Diesel shortage risk: governments back refineries
Medium · energie_brandstoffen · 11 Oct 2026
High pump prices and a looming diesel shortage are prompting governments to take a different view of the future of oil refineries (NOS). In the Strait of Hormuz, two more tankers have been struck and US forces have disabled a cargo vessel (gCaptain).
Recommendation: Review the fuel-surcharge formulas in transport and construction contracts, paying attention to the index basis and how often the surcharge is revised. Secure supply-assurance terms with fuel suppliers before winter and consider a fixed price or hedge for part of the volume.
Norway fines Microsoft ad firm Xandr $9.6 million
Low · wetgeving_compliance · 12 Oct 2026
Norway's Data Protection Authority, Datatilsynet, has fined Xandr, Microsoft's advertising company, $9.6 million. The fine concerns data sharing with Grindr.
Recommendation: Review data processing agreements and the consent basis with programmatic advertising partners and media agencies. Set out in contracts who bears liability for data-sharing fines.
2030 shore power mandate outpaces the grid
Low · wetgeving_compliance · 12 Oct 2026
Two EU regulations will require ports to provide shore power, and ships to use it, from 2030. According to Splash247, grid capacity is lagging behind that deadline.
Recommendation: Include shore power readiness and possible cost pass-through when negotiating long-term terminal, port and charter agreements. Infrastructure and installation buyers should reserve capacity for high-voltage components early.
Nebius first client for Volt's Rotterdam AI data centre
Low · technologie_cyber · 12 Oct 2026
Volt Datacenters plans to build the Netherlands' largest AI data centre in Rotterdam and has signed Nebius as its first client. The project in the Port of Rotterdam is presented as a joint 'AI factory'.
Recommendation: Include Netherlands-based AI compute as an option in your cloud and AI sourcing strategy, and track completion date and capacity. Companies in the Port of Rotterdam with pending grid applications should monitor this development.
Baltic states seek EU-wide ban on Russian grain transit
Low · geopolitiek_handel · 12 Oct 2026
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are calling for an EU-wide ban on the transit of Russian grain through the European Union.
Recommendation: Ask grain suppliers now for origin documentation and transit routes so that any ban does not come as a surprise. Track decision-making in Brussels.
NL, Flanders and NRW strengthen port cooperation
Low · transport_supplychain · 12 Oct 2026
Flanders, the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia took a further step in their port cooperation on the Rotterdam–Antwerp–Ruhr axis at the Port Summit in Meise.
Recommendation: Factor the corridor agreements into long-term planning of modal choice and hinterland transport. Track which concrete projects emerge before issuing multi-year transport tenders.
Experts doubt new Dutch freelancer law: grey areas remain
Low · wetgeving_compliance · 11 Oct 2026
Experts doubt whether the Dutch cabinet's new law on self-employed contractors will actually prevent disguised employment. In their view, 'much is still a grey area'.
Recommendation: Map current hiring of self-employed contractors and flag long-running or core-role assignments as higher risk. In contracts with intermediaries, set out who is responsible for classifying the working relationship and include indemnity clauses.