Container shortages, delays beset shipping industry as ‘ripple effect’ of Suez Canal blockage continues

Delays caused by last month’s Suez Canal blockage are forcing shipping carriers to skip port calls and prioritise returning empty containers to Asia, disrupting business in both Europe and Asia, according to industry insiders.

More than three weeks after the skyscraper-sized Ever Given was freed from the Suez Canal, a critical global trade corridor, ports on major shipping routes are grappling with a backlog of vessels as sea freight traffic ramps up after disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic last year.