Shipping delays caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are leading to product shortages and supply chain issues affecting the hardware industries and building supplies. These disruptions are likely to continue until the end of the year, experts say.
In a recent article from RNZ, head of industry development and policy at the The Australian Industry Group Louise McGrath said, “There is so little space now that ships won’t take forward bookings,” adding worse was yet to come as peak pre-Christmas price surcharges were expected to rise from $500 to $5000 per vessel, over an above the already inflated shipping costs.
The congestion at the ports of Auckland and Tauranga, according to a piece in The New Zealand Herald, were also slowing down the arrival of goods in the south.
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said disruptions in the international supply chain, because of Covid-19, were having a “knock on effect” across the globe.
“We get disrupted by the other links in the chain, and their delays flow through to us,” Winders said.
International shipping companies are engaged in a massive juggling act, as they try to maintain their schedules in the face of constant delays and changes. As the shipping delays are outside New Zealand’s control, they will likely be a fact of life for some time to come.
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