By Nancy Thorner -
9/27 Report
Dozens of container ships stuck outside of ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California because of shortage of trucks and drivers in the USA to collect goods.
The boats carry everything from clothing, furniture to electronics. Experts point out that delays are a global problem and consumers could suffer delays in their deliveries for the Christmas celebrations.
10/8 Report: Over 1,000 Crew Members Are Stranded
"The $14 trillion shipping industry, responsible for 90% of world trade, has left in its wake what appears to be a record number of cargo-ship with crew members still aboard as castaways. Wall Street Journal Report 10/8/21 detailed some of the shocking reports of tanker crew members left adrift after companies abandoned vessels or sold or transferred them, or couldn't pay mounting debts, while trying to survive oftentimes on little food even while moored close to resort locations in places like Dubai – or in other cases floating off the Suez Canal or at Black Sea ports. [..]"
"Abandoned seafarers described the ships turned into a “prison" and a "slave ship ”. Legally they simply aren't allowed off the vessel. In some instances reports of unpaid workers contemplating suicide. Some of them literally face starvation, and in these instances sometimes attract the help of local charities. Currently, there are efforts underway among a handful of large nations – namely China, Indonesia and the Philippines – whose ships make up the bulk of international sea freight traffic, to establish an 'abandonment fund' to help with emergency assistance for stranded crew. However, it could encourage companies to continue shrugging off responsibility, as is still continually happening according to the report."
10/10 Report What the US port crisis looks like up close
“The disturbance in the shipping industry and the broader crisis in supply chains are showing no signs of abating. … The shortage of finished goods at retailers is the flip side of stacked containers on ships stranded at sea and crammed on the banks of the river."
“Like blocks of toys thrown from the sky, nearly 80,000 shipping containers are stacked in various configurations in Savannah Harbor – 50% more than usual. Steel crates wait for ships to take them to their final destination, or trucks to take them to warehouses, that are themselves stuffed onto rafters."
The claimed reason? Covid virus mandates and lack of workers.
10/12 Report
Reuters – “Manufacturing meltdowns are hitting the U.S. heartland, as the semiconductor shortages that have plagued equipment makers for months expand into other components. Supply chain woes now pose a threat to the U.S. food supply and farmers' ability to get crops out of fields. Many farmers can’t find replacement parts for their harvesting equipment; especially tires.
- New Ag Supply in Kansas is pleading with customers to order parts now for spring planting
- Iowa, farmer Cordt Holub is locking up his machinery inside his barn each night, after thieves stole hard-to-find tractor parts from a local Deere & Co (DE.N) dealership.
- Ohio, Ag-Pro, Deere & Co dealership has been digging out GPS units dating back to 2004; thought to be useless – now are able to record a digital harvest map of their farms.
Farmers say they are scrambling to find workarounds when their machinery breaks, tracking down local welders and mechanics. Greg Peterson, founder of the Machinery Pete website which hosts farm equipment auctions says growers looking to buy tractors and combines online are asking for close-up photos of the machine's tires, because replacements are expensive and difficult to find. [..]
Access to steel, plastic, rubber and other raw materials has been scarce during the Covid fiasco and manufacturers are preparing for even more shocks after power shortages forced several Chinese smelters to cut production."
October 13th report
The
White House responded to the backlog by finalizing an agreement for the Port of Los Angeles to become a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation, in a move to reassure Americans on that he can tame high inflation. It is hoped that nighttime operations will help to break the logjam and reduce shipping delays for toasters, sneakers, bicycles, cars and more.
“ The Biden administration has argued that higher inflation is temporary. Yet the supply chain issues have persisted months after the economy began to reopen and recover as vaccines lessened many of the risks from the pandemic.
The sense of uncertainty is beginning to consume the attention of many Americans.
Businesses were worrying about months long delays for shipping containers in June, yet the administration only formed its supply chain task force that month and named a port envoy on Aug. 27 to address the challenging situation.
Ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, account for 40% of all shipping containers entering the United States. According to the Marine Exchange of Southern California, as of Tuesday, October 12, 2021 there were 64 ships berthed at the two ports and 80 waiting to dock and unload.
Walmart, FedEx, UPS, Target, Samsung and The Home Depot committed to unloading during off-peak hours, making it easier for the Los Angeles port to operate nonstop. The Long Beach port has been operating 24 hours daily for seven days for roughly the past three weeks.
Inflation as a selling point by Biden administration
The president is trying to use the predicament as a selling point for his policy plans that undergoing congressional scrutiny
“It’s when the government spends money that it doesn’t collect in taxes and then the Federal Reserve monetizes the resulting deficits by printing money.”
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