Mixed Messages:
“U.S. Holiday-Spending Plans Tempered by Inflation, Survey Shows” - Bloomberg News, Oct. 27, 2021
“NRF predicts highest holiday sales on record” - CSA, Oct. 27, 2021
We have learned that some importers are directing that no ships be routed through Los Angeles or Long Beach until further notice. Reasons given are the long delays and the fees which we have seen described as outrageous.
“The hope for any major decline in shipping costs has been pushed back to Chinese New Year in February at the earliest.” American Shipper, “No relief from ‘ridiculously expensive’ container shipping rates” Oct. 28, 2021
“I have stopped using the word ‘normalization…If normalization means that we will come back to a market like we knew it in ’18 and ’19 I do not think it will happen – at least not for a very very long time.” “The fact that investments in infrastructure has been neglected in the U.S. for many years does not help as the port and railway infrastructure simply is not equivalent to the volume increase that has taken place.”
Chief Executive, DSV, Jens Bjorn Andersen, quoted in GCaptain, “Top Freight Forwarder Says Containergeddon Will Last A “Very Very Long Time” Oct. 27, 2021