The US dockworker union ILA may only just have confirmed the east and Gulf coast port strike, but disruption is already happening – with shippers bracing for extra airfreight costs.
“Containers will be in the wrong spot, and shippers will have to deal with that,” said Niall van de Wouw, chief airfreight officer for Xeneta.
“Some have already pulled back freight they had dispatched. So they will need to supplement their stock in a different way, or stick it out. Either way, things are going to be a mess; and when there is a mess, airfreight comes in.”
Shipco Transport said it was seeing additional requests for airfreight.
