The congestion continued for a long time, and the British shipper sent a letter to Parliament requesting an investigation into the port congestion!

In the recent period, British ports have continued to be severely congested and have almost fallen into paralysis. Some large shippers in the country have sent letters to members of parliament requesting the parliament to investigate the port congestion problem.

It is reported that the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Food and Beverage Federation (FDF) have sent letters to the Chairman of the Public Transport Special Committee of the House of Commons and the Chairman of the International Trade Committee of the House of Commons. The letters describe that importers are facing a loss during the Christmas period and at the end of December. At the end of the European transition period, there were major challenges in increasing inventories, requiring the two committees to conduct joint investigations into port disruption and shipping market operations.

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive Officer of the British Retail Association, explained: “Christmas preparations are the most important time of the year for retailers. It usually accounts for one-fifth of the annual sales and generates a significant amount of annual revenue. A large part."

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"After 2020, which is experiencing huge challenges, many companies’ cash flow is under tremendous pressure, and companies cannot afford these additional transportation costs. Therefore, consumers will pay the ultimate price. Christmas orders may be delayed, retail The business may have no choice but to increase product prices."

"These issues must be resolved urgently, and necessary reviews will be carried out to help our ports to move freely again," she added.

According to the Food and Beverage Federation, the impact of port delays on British food and beverage manufacturers is equally severe, and these manufacturers face additional costs in sourcing key ingredients elsewhere, as well as sales due to missed retail promotions during critical periods Amount loss.

A company reported that it lost more than £1 million in sales due to delays.

However, Tim Morris, chief executive of the UK's major port group industry association, defended port congestion and pointed out that these problems are not limited to the UK.

"The new crown pneumonia epidemic has caused unprecedented pressure on the global supply chain. Over time, imbalances have accumulated, and there is a strong global demand for many commodities from Asia."

He said: “The ports serving Asian trade routes are making substantial improvements. They still maintain a level of 15-25% compared with the same period last year. They have hired more employees, invested more resources, and Chain partners work closely together."

Mr. Morris also pointed out that the country's secondary container ports still have surplus capacity. "Although the ports handling short-distance container voyages are busy, they have extra capacity. We are maintaining close contact with the government and taking concrete measures to increase the flow of containers in and out of the port."

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In fact, ports on the east coast of the UK said that in recent weeks, as the supply chain looks for alternative gateways, such as the South Shields container terminal in the Port of Tyne, container traffic has increased significantly.

“In order to alleviate the supply chain disruption in other ports in the UK, the Port of Tyne has been supporting shipping companies and feeder operators by allocating additional berths to assist in the evacuation of empty containers to Nordic ports for use. This ensures that the containers are used for use. Loaded export goods and reduced the number of empty containers shipped back to Asia."

Richard Newton, Director of Logistics Operations at the Port of Tyne, added: "We are completely open, there is no congestion, and cargo can freely enter and exit the port. We are doing everything we can to help the ports in the southeast of the UK. The Port of Tyne has additional capacity to further increase cargo throughput. Quantity, we are here to keep Britain running."

Similarly, ABP's Humber container terminals in Hull and Immingham have also undergone terminal upgrades in recent months, reaching £50m and £33m respectively. Claire Screen, the company’s recently appointed commercial (container) director, said that this investment “means greater flexibility for customers without the need to book and pick up or return in advance, or increase capacity.”