In recent weeks, the Port of Felixstowe has experienced heavy congestion due to a rise in import volume as well as issues with it’s vehicle booking system. At Hemisphere, we’re doing everything we can to proactively mitigate the effects of this situation.
In a statement released on Friday 18th September 2020, the port apologised for the delays, stating that this was a result of a 30% increase in weekly import volume, the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 crisis on resource availability as well as the deep clean required between shifts.
This congestion has had ramifications across the logistics industry, with many struggling to access slots on the VBS. With the additional time required by Covid-19 secure working practices, the delays have amounted, leaving a large proportion of shipments delayed. This situation is exacerbated by additional port congestion surcharges being implemented by shipping lines as well as container and port storage times being exceeded.
In recent days, the Port of Felixstowe announced that it was taking measures to mitigate its congestion issues, including increasing its booking availability to 4300 vehicles per day, opening on Sunday for haulage collection and hiring over 100 additional equipment drivers. There is hope that this will ease the situation, but with the uncertain few months ahead and an international shortage of drivers, many hauliers remain on high alert.
At Hemisphere Freight Services, we are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our customers. We are prioritising booking VBS slots in advance, keeping in constant contact with our clients to try and ensure their requirements and deadlines are met.
We are also working closely with our long-established network of haulier partners, making sure our logistics solutions are operating efficiently and shipments are delivered on time wherever possible. We can also offer services via alternative ports where appropriate such as Southampton port and London Gateway.
If you have any questions regarding this situation, do not hesitate to get in touch with a dedicated member of the Hemisphere team.
