The News
Global shipping disruptions stemming from US tariffs and bottlenecks at major ports are hampering American companies’ ability to rush orders before Washington’s 90-day tariff détente with China ends.
Several Northern European trade hubs have been hit by labor shortages and low water levels on the Rhine River, preventing ships from berthing and stretching transit times, Bloomberg reported.
The tariff rollback has boosted shipping demand between the US and China, but importers are struggling with a shortage of ships after many were rerouted because of the trade war.
The issues are pushing up freight rates and compounding firms’ logistical headaches: “The next 90 days will be quite chaotic,” a logistics executive in Asia told The Wall Street Journal.