Industry faces trouble accelerating global container flows, data show

Efforts to speed up the movement of goods around the world have yet to resolve supply chain bottlenecks caused by rising demand for retail goods and pandemic-related lockdowns, the latest data shows. Marine transport.

The delays at major ports in the United States have been especially severe, but the repercussions have also been felt around the world.

This week’s Lunar New Year holiday in China and across Asia is expected to compound the delays.

Travel time from the port of Dalian in northern China to the main European port of Antwerp increased to 88 days in January, from 68 days in December, due to a combination of congestion and waiting time. This compares to 65 days in January 2021, according to analysis by logistics platform project44.

Transit time from Dalian to the British eastern port of Felixstowe, which has seen some of the longest delays in Europe, reached 85 days in January, up from 81 days in December 2021 and 65 days in January 2020.

A survey conducted in January by the technology company Container xChange, which consulted 500 people in the freight transport sector, revealed that 66% of those surveyed expect that the closure of factories for the Chinese New Year will further disrupt supply chains. supply of container transport.

Josh Brazil of Project44 stated that they would need “several years to return to pre-pandemic supply chain stability”.

He said new shipbuilding capacity would not come to market until 2024, meaning that “there is no quick fix”.

“While Europe has experienced much less port congestion compared to major US ports, congestion in Southern California causes schedule disruptions and capacity limitations that have global consequences.Brazil said.

Delays at US West Coast ports have also increased, with Oakland taking more than 10 days in January, up from about five in December, according to data from Project44. Delays in Los Angeles hovered around six days in December and January.

Ports have tried to extend working times to eliminate delays and companies have tried to shorten delivery routes and diversify suppliers of goods to alleviate delays.