Shipping lines and container owners in North America (majorly in the US) are finding it difficult to return containers to China. The US is also facing major trucking issues that are making cargo movement within the country difficult.
Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange: “What is happening in the US is that there is already congestion, like every year, because it is the peak shipping season, and everyone is trying to make sure that retailers have enough inventory on the shelves for the upcoming holiday and Christmas season.”
“The US West Coast labor negotiations due to which many freight forwarders rerouted the cargo to the US East Coast have now caused congestion on the US East Coast too. Hinterland complications like acute shortage of truckers and rail delays are adding to the woes. All in all, there are many challenges that will impact a smooth container movement into the peak season,”
“Empty containers piling up at the depots in the US and containers stuck on the sea (owing to the congestion) will contribute to capacity being tied up.”
The average container prices for cargo-worthy containers of all types in the region rose from $2116 in July to $2214 in August. While globally, the supply chain disruptions were slowly easing up, there is still no sure end to shipping troubles in sight.
Source: maritimeprofessional.com