MAERSK experts said they found the cause of the recent collapse in maritime transport – it is necessary to reduce consumer demand in the United States. They confidently say that reduced demand will enable service providers to cope with the resulting shortage of production capacity and gradually clean up the freight chain by adjusting delivery times. According to them, the Americans, who buy too much, are to blame for this situation. To prove their words, experts cite statistics:
In June 2021, U.S. imports were up nearly 25% from June 2020 and 15% from 2019.
The increase in the flow of export and import cargo in the United States is so great that neither carriers, nor warehouses, nor ports can cope with them. The result was a crisis in the supply of materials, raw materials and finished goods. Terminals in ports cannot cope with such a quantity of cargo. There are not enough drivers, warehouse space on a global scale.
In Los Angeles and Long Beach, through which the main flow of goods from China to the United States, more than 40 container ships regularly stand in line for unloading.
Most economists predict that the crisis will not ease in the rest of the year, but, on the contrary, will only intensify. And the improvement of the situation should be expected no earlier than February 2022, when China will go on vacation in connection with the celebration of the New Year, no new shipments will be made and it will be possible to unload and put a little order in the logistics chains. Others are sure that such a short pause is unlikely to be enough to transport and deliver goods stuck in traffic jams.
In general, there is an opinion in the sector that it is unlikely that the problems will be dealt with before the end of next year.