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COPENHAGEN: The stranding of a container ship in the Suez Canal has created disruptions in the global shipping industry that could take weeks and possibly months to clear, major container shipping lines said.
About 30 percent of the world’s shipping container volume, including goods such as sofas, consumer electronics, clothing and shoes, moves through the 193 km Suez Canal daily. Empty containers, which Asian factories need to ship goods, are also caught in the backlog.
“Even when the canal is reopened, the ripple effects on global capacity and equipment are significant,” the world’s largest container shipping company Maersk said in a customer advisory on Monday (March 29).
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Maersk has three vessels stuck in the canal and another 29 waiting to enter, he said, adding that so far it had diverted 15 vessels to sail to southern Africa.
“When evaluating the current backlog of vessels, it could take six days or more for the entire line to pass,” he said.
Switzerland’s MSC, the world’s No. 2 airline, said separately on Saturday that the situation “is going to result in one of the biggest disruptions to world trade in recent years.”
“Unfortunately, even as the canal reopens due to the huge backlog of ships waiting at the anchorage, this will cause an increase in arrivals at certain ports and we may experience further congestion problems,” said Caroline Becquart, MSC Senior Vice President it’s a statement.
“We anticipate that the second quarter of 2021 will be more interrupted than the first three months, and perhaps even more challenging than at the end of last year.”
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Container shipping companies have been struggling for months with disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a surge in demand for retail products that led to wider logistics bottlenecks around the world.
Suez’s order book threatens to make it even more difficult for European and American companies to keep products in stock.
The UK’s naval Maritime Trade Operations authority said separately that ships diverting around Africa could mean more traffic passing through high-risk areas where pirate gangs operate.
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“While the threat of Somalia-based piracy is currently suppressed through a combination of military operations, the application of BMP 5 (ship protection measures) and the presence of armed guards, an increase in maritime traffic in the area may present opportunities for Somali pirate groups to attack shipping, “UKMTO said.
