The UK’s largest container port strike is imminent, Maersk announces emergency measures
Maersk reminded customers that demand for transport is expected to be at “very high” levels once the strike is over, and urged customers to book early.
At present, the British economic situation is in bad situation. With the sharp rise in the inflation rate, the crisis of the cost of living for the British people has been exacerbated. In this context, the dockers at Felixstowe, the largest container port in the U.K., will also have a great impact due to labor disputes.
On August 18, Maersk issued an announcement saying that according to the latest news, the labor dispute of Felixstowe port dockers has not been resolved, and the 8-day strike action planned for August 21 to August 29 is still in progress. In the face of the upcoming strike, Maersk has made adjustments to related businesses involving Felixstowe Port and formulated a series of contingency measures to minimize the impact of the strike on customers. Maersk said that in order to maximize the availability of labor before and after the strike, the estimated time of arrival of some of the company’s ships will be advanced or delayed, and some ships will be suspended at the port of Felixstowe. The adjustments are as follows:
Maersk also specifically reminded customers that transport demand is expected to be at “very high” levels once the strike ends, so urged customers to book early. Maersk has also previously stated that there is a risk of not being able to use reefer points due to the upcoming strike. So, Maersk will not be able to accept reefer bookings at the Port of Felixstowe. For confirmed bookings, Maersk will contact the customer to discuss the matter.
The port of Felixstowe handled 3.7 million TEUs in 2021, equivalent to nearly half of the UK’s containerized cargo. In addition to the Port of Felixstowe, more than 500 dockers at Liverpool, another major container port in the UK, have also planned to strike a few days ago, but the strike date has not yet been determined. Once the two major container ports in the UK strike, it will cause huge damage to the entire UK supply chain.
At present, the global economy continues to decline, the inflation rate in the UK remains high and the cost of living is rising. Since the beginning of this year, workers in some industries have taken strike action one after another.
The latest data released by the Office for National Statistics on August 17 shows that in July, the UK consumer price index rose by 10.1% year-on-year, the highest increase in 40 years, and the confidence of British consumers are continuing to decline.
