No signs of improving port congestion in the US, fearing that it will last until the end of 2022

With the rapid increase in consumer and industrial demand, the volume of imported goods of this country increased exponentially. US ports are currently facing their worst congestion ever.

los-angeles-port

Port of Los Angeles

According to data from the National Retail Federation, the US ports are estimated to handle 2.37 million TEUs in August, making them the port with the highest throughput since 2002 when the NRF began compiling the data.

Shipping line CMA CGM has ruled out the possibility that the market may return to normal this year, and has made uncertain forecasts. On August 27, the French giant warned that capacity restrictions on its ships are "are expected to continue until the first half of 2022."

The aforementioned NRF data shows a total of 25.9 million TEUs imported through US ports in 2021, breaking the country's record of 22 million TEU the previous year.

With such a surge in import demand, that calls for an increase in container traffic across the United States, and potentially leads to a worldwide shortage of containers if not handled properly.

“This remarkable, sustained import surge is pushing the supply chain to new levels,” said Port of Los Angeles CEO Gene Seroka during the port’s earnings call in July.

Speaking about congestion in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Hapag-Lloyd shipping line said last week, "The expected spike in imports generated by the peak season and pre-shipped cargo is already here, making the operation more complex."

In addition, reports from China suggest that factories remain open during Golden Week, so along with strong demand from the US, supply also increased strongly this year, reducing the number of blank sailings, contributing to reducing congestion.

The two main factors causing bottlenecks are the unforeseen recovery of the global economy and the fact that the recovery comes at a time when supply chain investment is at record lows.

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