Even though the city port is open, the eastern part of the city was under lockdown this past Monday while the west side is planned for lockdown as well on Friday, reports American Shipper this week. Regardless of the port status, workers and drivers will not be available to go to work due the lockdown unless working mobile from home. Manpower shortages and delays on container delivery to ports are expected. (See more at American Shipper, “Shanghai’s 2-stage COVID lockdown….”, Lori Ann LaRocco, 3-28-2022)

The container ship, Ever Forward ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland) Sunday night after departing the Port of Baltimore. Fortunately, the stuck vessel is not blocking any channel traffic, but presents a major challenge for the Coast Guard to assess and provide a safe solution to free the ship safely and avoid environmental damage. The apparent ship owner, Evergreen Marine Corp (Taiwan), also experienced another well-publicized mishap when one of its ships, Ever Given, became stuck in the Suez Canal just a year ago which created major global shipping delays. (Link: ABCNEWS, “Cargo Ship stuck …..” by Bill Hutchinson, March 15, 2022)

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The Voerman Group, which has a large relocation, moving & logistics company in Russia, released information yesterday on the impact of the war for shipping as a whole, now and in the weeks to come. The report explains that “All business has stopped to Ukraine and Belarus due to the security situation. The trucking prices in Russia have increased up to 400% for import and 300% for export, (and) a serious shortage of drivers in international road transport is looming in the coming weeks.” (Click Read More for full Voerman Release)

One may recall the cyberattack that hit Maersk back in 2017 that took the shipper a few weeks to return to full running operation. It was reported that the Maersk damage was incidental to a larger plan that agencies claimed was a Russian cyberattack upon Ukraine. The situation now in 2022 is very different with the global supply chain severely stressed, currently having no buffer capacity. Any interruption due to cyberattack in a port, shipping or terminal operation would have major negative impact on the global supply chain. (Info & Video – see “Container Markets” at American Shipper, “Shipping braces for impact …” 2/22/22, Greg Miller)

Fairfield, ME, (February 24, 2022) – Parsifal Corporation is pleased to congratulate four long time employees as they reached notable anniversary milestones last year in 2021. Mark Olsen, President and CEO shared that “Parsifal is proud to claim ongoing strong retention rates with 43% of the total staff achieving a tenure of 10 years or more.” Parsifal managers, Dayle Gervais, Jackie Suarez, David Jones and Deb Hicks are recognized for their contribution to the corporate success over many years. (See full Press Release - click on Read More)

There are many factors that have contributed to the global supply chain crisis. Virtually all containers are manufactured in China, with production up 130% in 2021 over prior year and TEU prices nearly double normal levels approaching $4,000 per unit, according to reports from American Shipper this week. Now a recent report explains that container prices have dropped and may be an indication of moving past a peak in pricing. There is speculation on how container pricing will impact the supply chain congestion. (See more at link to American Shipper, “Supply chain signals: New-container prices ….,” February 15, 2022, Greg Miller, Sr. Editor)