World shipping-container crisis explained

World shipping-container crisis explained
Marcelo Duhalde and Siqi Ji February 15, 2022

“Supply chain crisis” became an often-used phrase during the coronavirus pandemic as Covid-19 caused vast economic disruption across the world. It has been used to explain bare supermarket shelves and why goods are taking much longer to reach businesses and consumers. The pandemic has laid bare vulnerabilities in the global shipping industry, which remains affected by a shortage of crew, available containers in Asia and capacity at major ports in the United States and Europe.
Origins

About 90 per cent of the world’s trade is transported by ship. When many countries went into lockdown in early 2020, restrictions on peoples’ movements resulted in significant changes in consumption patterns. Demand increased for certain goods, like home office supplies and electronics, many of which are made in China and other manufacturing hubs in Asia. There was also an urgent need for raw materials for medical supplies as well as masks and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Nearly every company in the world was forced to adapt to the health crisis, including airlines, which converted passenger aircraft for cargo as borders closed to international visitors.

more...https://multimedia.scmp.com/infographics/business/article/3166926/contai...