AND NOW OUR WATCH HAS ENDED…
Today will be the final edition of ‘Unity-in-Community’, which was originally introduced during the first wave of covid last year, when community was very much at the heart of the fight against the pandemic.
That does not mean an end to our logistics updates – far from it. We will be updating news stories and articles on our new website, which will be launched soon, and will produce a monthly newsletter, as well as releasing bulletins on more urgent or essential news.
Our Unity-in-Community mantra has a new home, becoming the umbrella for our community and charitable projects, which this year sees us sponsoring and supporting Hares About Town and Gratitude – two fund raising public art displays – amongst other great causes.
For more information on these projects, please check out and like or follow our Unity-in-Community social media pages.
ASIA OCEAN CRISIS – LATEST
The ongoing impact of the pandemic and the recent Suez blockage have brought many global supply chains to a halt, with extremely limited availability and very high rate levels.
We expect this situation to continue through May and at least until the middle of June, when schedules are expected to readjust and equipment is more freely available.
Although, demand is expected to be high as booking backlogs will remain and we will be approaching the ‘traditional’ peak season. Therefore, it is unclear if there will be any respite in the short term, but we can safely predict the market will continue to be challenging.
US MARKET SLOW GOING
Importing and exporting through the US market has taken a turn for the worst over recent weeks. Port and terminal congestion, driver shortages and a lack of container availability are commonplace in the US.
Rates, especially for westbound (export) traffic, have gone through the roof and delays can be expected on inland movements. The Asian container crisis has also impacted the US now, as many empties have started to move off of US/European routes to Asia.
FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES
Logistical issues, caused by the pandemic, are hitting food supply chains more than most, with many theorising this could lead to global price hikes and even food shortages.
Rice in Thailand and sugar in India are amongst the food products that are piling up due to a lack of shipping availability. While in some cases, delays on lower shelf life items can effectively mean they turn to waste.
Now, more than ever, it is critical to have the right logistics partner embedded into food supply chains at the planning stage. A partner that understands port health controls, food customs procedures and the nuances of perishable products – just like Atlantic Pacific do.
