Supply chain woes unlikely to abate at major US ports, cold storage facilities

The ongoing supply chain challenges facing major ports in the United States and the high demand for cold storage is driving investment in capacity, according to a panel of experts, but the continued challenges are unlikely to go away any time soon.

A panel at the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference – running from 15 to 19 January in Palm Springs, California, U.S.A. – addressed a number of challenges continuing to face the logistics side of the seafood industry; which has resulted in the “death” of the just-in-time model of the supply chain. In addition to that shift in model, some panelists are recommending a shift in port access for cargo shipped from overseas as they predict capacity issues will continue to plague shipping and cold storage in the U.S.

Delays at major points began to compound during the Covid-19 pandemic, to the point that in August 2022 more than 130 vessels were actively waiting to get access to a port to unload. Those delays had distributors looking for other places to offload cargo – especially when it comes to refrigerated cargo – but the capacity in the U.S. is still limited …

Photo courtesy of Sheila Fitzgerald/Shutterstock