Irish imports from the US could be a little delayed if the British docker strike spreads from the port of Felixstowe to Liverpool.
Consumers here should escape the Christmas supply crisis predicted to hit Britain as a summer of workers’ discontent rages on, experts say.
Dockworkers at the southeastern port of Felixstowe, Britain’s largest container port, walked away this week in a dispute over pay, with Liverpool workers threatening to take action in the near future.
“It will have an impact here, because even if [trade] There is still a lot of mixed freight coming in from the UK, although it has declined since Brexit,” said Eugene Drennan, president of the Irish Road Transport Association.
“For sure there will be a knock-on, but it will be subtle. It will dribble over the next few months. It will have a bigger impact on us at Liverpool. If it’s Liverpool. If it spreads.”
Liverpool is a feeder port for US to Ireland exports.
Felixstowe is a hub for containerized goods from East Asian countries, including China and South Korea, but most of the goods destined for Ireland arrive at the European ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp before the ships set sail for the UK. is unloaded at
Kevin Brady, managing director of freight forwarder Woodland Group Ireland, said his company’s routes were “little affected by the Felixstowe strike this week”.
Eoin Hogan, the company’s head of operations in Ireland, said the Liverpool strike “could cause some disruption to the Irish supply chain as it is an important port for US inbound ships to Ireland.” said.
The United States will be Ireland’s largest commodity import partner in 2021 for products such as machinery, chemicals and food (the EU was number one overall).
In the event of the as-yet-unconfirmed Liverpool strike, rerouting shipments from the United States via Europe could result in an additional week of delay, depending on conditions in Antwerp or Rotterdam.
IRHA’s Eugene Drennan said rerouting could take three to four weeks.
Dublin Port Chief Executive Eamonn O’Reilly said the impact on Ireland would depend on whether the strike affected Liverpool’s trailer shipping and container port. Most goods shipped from Liverpool arrive by truck or trailer.
He said other British ports have plenty of container capacity, including Liverpool and London Gateway, which can pick up slack from Felixstowe.
UK real wages fell a record 3 per cent in the second quarter, but annual inflation topped 10 per cent in July, with analysts predicting it could reach 19 per cent by January. increase.
Railroad and Royal Mail staff turned away and nurses, teachers and airport workers threatened to act, resulting in a summer of discontent in Britain.
Supply chain data firm Project 44 said it “looks increasingly likely” that as the Felixstowe strike drags on, delays in getting goods to the UK in time for Christmas are likely.
