US exports face empty container pile-up as supply chains recover

(Global Trade Review, London, 21 September 2022) Analysts are warning that ports in North America could become overwhelmed by a build-up of empty containers, as trans-Pacific supply chains and transportation times gradually return to pre-pandemic levels. The average time taken to deliver cargo soared to 112 days in February this year, nearly three times the average before Covid-19 struck, according to Denmark-based research and analysis firm Sea-Intelligence. As of late August, the most recent point for which data is available, that figure had dropped to 88 days.