How Can Shippers Navigate A 'Perfect Storm' In Their Supply Chains?

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on supply chains around the world, and shows little sign of abating after a surge in new infections across Asia has enforced a partial shutdown of one of the world's busiest container ports - Ningbo-Zhoushan. China's Yantian port was also forced to close for over a month across May and June due to virus outbreaks.

Importers and exporters have already suffered during the pandemic, as raw material price rises and the much-publicized semiconductor shortage hamper recovery efforts and bring sizeable additional costs to bear and manufacturing or delivery delays.

The pressure is mounting on shippers' logistics operations as a result of a "perfect storm" of negative headwinds. As our example illustration below displays, mapping the transportation path of a pair of shoes from port of origin in China to your doorstep, a combination of fluctuating transit times and increased costs are giving shippers significant headaches to resolve.