Port congestion worsens UK supply crisis – Prensa Latina

As happened on Wednesday, in the port of Felixstowe, where 40 percent of the containers entering and leaving the country are transported, ships cannot offload their cargo due to a lack of space in the yards.

A spokesman for the port facility, located in the east, said the pre-Christmas climax, in addition to a shortage of truck drivers, congestion at ground stations, non-compliance with ship arrivals, and the COVID-19 pandemic had caused congestion on the roads. The coast of England.

Although the spokesman said the situation was improving and there would be more space this week, Danish shipping company Maersk reported that it had had to shift its ships to other berths on the European continent, with containers being taken to the UK in smaller vessels.

However, the minister without portfolio from the British government, Oliver Dowden, tried to downplay the importance of this new problem, and in statements to Sky News television he urged residents not to rush to Christmas shopping because everything will be resolved before the end of the year.

The official, who is also the co-chair of the ruling Conservative Party, said I am confident that people will be able to get their toys at Christmas.

Dowden said the executive is taking action to address the crisis, but added that the truck driver shortage is a problem that also affects other European countries, the United States and even China.

In this regard, he highlighted the recent decision to create five thousand new places for training cargo truck drivers and to make the procedures for obtaining a driver’s license for this type of vehicle more flexible.

London also promised to grant 5,000 temporary visas to foreign drivers, but so far less than 100 truck drivers have responded to the offer.

The deficit, which according to the Federation of Tankers amounts to 100,000 drivers, affects the supply of fuel to gas stations and food products to supermarkets.

The poultry, meat and dairy sectors are also complaining about the effects of a lack of drivers and manpower, with most of them leaving the UK after Brexit which ended the free movement of people between British territory and the European Union.

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