Christmas trading will be safe

Christmas trading will be safe from supply chain problems, the boss of shipping firm Maersk has told the BBC – adding, “at least that’s what I’m hearing from our customers”.

The company handles almost 20% of the world’s shipping containers.

Chief executive Soren Skou, said the firm is chartering more ships, keeping ports open longer and has opened more warehouses to help.

Mearsk is doing “everything” it can to alleviate the problems, he said.

There have been recent warnings in the UK and the US that logjams at ports will lead to shortages at Christmas.

Mr. Skou said that a shortage of workers in the ports to unload ships and a lack of truckers was behind the problems.

A Road Haulage Association (RHA) survey of its members estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK. That number includes thousands of drivers from European Union (EU) member states who were previously living and working in the UK. There are also shortages across Europe and the US.

Mr. Skou estimated that approximately 300 large container ships around the world are sitting waiting outside ports. Almost 80 of these, he added, were in Los Angeles, with a “few” outside Felixstowe and others stuck by Chinese ports including Shanghai and Ningbo.

As world leaders meet to tackle climate change in Glasgow Mr. Skou was critical of the targets set by the UN body that oversees his industry: “The ambition level at the IMO so far has been quite limited”.

“We as Maersk certainly are pushing hard for that to be reducing by 100% in 2050 and we believe it can be done”.

To read the entire article, click here: Shipping boss: ‘Christmas will be safe’ from shortages

Source: BBCNews