Still ‘significantly high congestion’ at box ports

Felixstowe is the latest port to report congestion building up, “as a severe shortage of truck drivers means containers are piling up in port storage yards, making it increasingly difficult to unload containers and reload empty containers back to Asian ports.”

VesselsValue said vessels are spending longer in port than usual to unload and depart due to a pile up of containers in port, causing disruptions to liner schedules and further reducing vessel availability. Since the beginning of the month, VesselsValue data shows that 31 vessels have moved through Felixstowe, equating to 281,408 total TEU vessel capacity.

“This is 45% less than the same period in 2020, and 51% less than the same period in 2019, suggesting the port is struggling with turnaround times,” commented VesselsValue.

The blog summed up, “The disruptions being seen could mean retailers struggle to fill their shelves this Christmas, without a steady flow of containers moving through this major port and enough trucks to redistribute the manufactured goods.”