We have already dedicated a lot of space to the issue of supply chains in Automation Trader, but as it turns out, the topic is coming back like a boomerang. This time, it is being challenged by... nature.
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When we have written about supply chains over the past two years, it has usually been in the context of a pandemic or war. These two extremely powerful factors have disrupted the flow of goods around the world, with serious consequences.
A series of unfortunate events
It could not have been otherwise, however, with many countries simply shutting down. The cost of container freight increased to unprecedented levels, there were long queues outside the world's biggest ports, and almost every industry was faced with a shortage of components.
It might seem, however, that now that the pandemic is over, and - although it sounds a bit like laughing through tears - the world has managed to return to relatively normal operations after the initial shock following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, nothing worse can really happen.
Well, exactly - it would seem. After all, everyone probably remembers the events of 2021, when the container ship Ever Given, one of the largest of its kind in the world, led to a complete blockade of the Suez Canal, a key maritime route worldwide.
The blockade lasted just six days, but its cost was counted in the billions. More than a hundred other ships carrying goods from Asia to Europe were stuck in the huge 'traffic jam'. According to various estimates, the resulting losses ranged from 900 million dollars to well over a billion.
Such high figures should not come as a surprise, as at the time of the aforementioned blockade, the Suez Canal accounted for around 10 per cent of the total flow of world trade. In the context of what is currently happening in another part of the globe, the alarming tones may not come as a surprise.
Christmas is not going to happen?
What specifically are we talking about? About another important route - the Panama Canal. This crucial sea route cannot currently be navigated due to a massive drought that is preventing the complex system of locks from functioning.
"The Wall Street Journal reports that the prolonged lack of rainfall has paralysed the canal and caused considerable anxiety in a number of industries. Add that this is a route that accounts for as much as 40 per cent of all container traffic to the US.
Interestingly, the blockade of the Panama Canal may not only be a problem for ordinary consumer supplies. Indeed, it is already being said today it could affect the supply chain in the context of... Christmas.
fot: https://pl.freepik.com/darmowe-zdjecie/duzy-statek-towarowy-z-kontenerami-w-porcie-generujacym-sztuczna-inteligencje_40937327.htm#query=ship%20delivery&position=11&from_view=search&track=ais" / Source: vecstock na Freepik
