It’s only June and the industry is already worried about Christmas
Port congestion starting to threaten Christmas supply chain.
By Marc Allen
Ongoing Covid-related port congestion in China could threaten Christmas supply chains, reports the BBC. Industry experts say the knock-on effects of the current backlog could take months to resolve.
With the shipping industry reeling from several waves of the Coronavirus , the blocking of the Suez Canal in March, and work restrictions and labour shortages in Guangdong Province, supply chains are already stretched.
The partial closure of the Port of Yantian is particularly affecting the free flow of goods from east to west after Chinese authorities had to reduce personnel numbers to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
“One of the biggest ports in China has basically closed down for close to three weeks. They have some berths in operation, but nowhere near enough”, says Nils Haupt, communications director at the German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd.
