In 2021, major UK ports suffered from concerning levels of congestion – partially due to a shortage of truck drivers, poor vessel reliability, and uncertainty brought about by lockdowns through the COVID-19 pandemic. But how did this impact the operations of PD Ports?
In the next instalment of PTI’s ‘In conversation with’ series, Frans Calje, CEO of PD Ports, sat down with Staff Reporter James Turner to discuss how the COVID-19 driven surge in demand affected its operations at Teesport and when he thinks the global supply chain might return to normal.
In October 2021, the Port of Felixstowe struggled to cope with increased volumes of cargo, leading shipping lines such as A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) to divert its container ships elsewhere.
However, Calje believes: “We all need to have a little bit of sympathy for the big container ports.
“You see a lot of congestion due to a shortage of haulage capacity, but that’s not the only single reason why ports find themselves into hot water.”
UK ports have also had to deal with a global shortage of containers and the knock-on effects of Brexit. According to the CEO, all these factors are now coming together in a single peak wave of disruption and creating issues.
