As the supply chain crisis continues, the Port of Savannah is flooded with shipping containers.
According to The New York Times, there are almost 80,000 containers on the docks.
According to the Georgia Ports Authority, some ships waited for nine days before being granted a slot.
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According to The New York Times, the Port of Savannah is nearing crisis point like other ports in the US.
The port has almost 80,000 containers, 50% more than usual. And the person who oversees it says he's never seen the yard so full.
According to The Times, 700 containers were left there for more than a month. According to The Times, 4500 containers were left at the port for several weeks in September while they waited to be picked up by trucks or boats to take them to their next destination.
These problems are now common in ports all over the globe.
After a fall in shipping demand during the first half 2020, there was a surge towards the end of the year that caused delays, traffic jams and blocked the supply chain. It was made worse by a shortage of dock workers and shipping containers. Containers are becoming jammed in ports due to both increasing demand and a continual shortage of dock workers to unload and transport them to their destinations.
Other containers are stranded at sea around the globe on ships waiting for a port. Grace Kay, an Insider reporter, reported in October that almost 500,000 shipping containers had been abandoned off the coasts of Southern California.
According to Griff Lynch, executive director of Georgia Ports Authority and port manager Griff Lynch, the traffic jam in Savannah is not going away.
He said that he had had to make ships wait at sea for longer than nine days and had recently seen more than 20 ships waiting in a queue.
"The supply chain has been overwhelmed and inundated... He told The Times that it was not sustainable at the moment.
He said that 4,500 containers were left unattended for weeks in September, which was "bordering upon absurd".
Supply chain problems are a major concern ahead of busy holiday shopping season. Experts say that these problems will continue into next year.
In a recent interview with Insider, Dave Marcotte, Kantar Consulting's long-time supply chain and retail expert, stated that there is no evidence that things will improve by 2022.
He said, "Things can be really bad...it's like a rubber band that keeps being stretched further and further."
