It is possible that anchor dragging by a ship months ago was responsible for the pipeline spill off Huntingdon Beach CA that appeared just recently.
While it wasn’t a large spill, the sensitive nature of the area requires a full investigation.
Perhaps we will ultimately find out how the spill happened. The investigation will help ordinary folks reflect on the wisdom of allowing pipelines and drilling so close to large populated areas with beautiful, heavily used beaches.
In case we didn’t notice it, shipping freight rate increases are the source of significant inflation throughout the 20 most developed countries. If you are complaining about inflation, point here.
The firms involved are passing the price rises on to consumers, resulting in higher prices. We may not be close to the end of the rises, either. We have not seen much to encourage a belief that the supply chain snafus will not continue and be disruptive for at least a year. No one seems to know what to do.
I fear even the choice of very large shippers to lease their own ships and avoid the traditional ocean container lines will not be all that easy. The extra ships will add to port delays, since they must load and unload just where the ocean shippers do. Ports are backed up, and also are running out of space for containers; and of course the driver shortage is preventing containers moving out fast.
Do we have to turn to rationing of scarce resources to get out of this dilemma, to make delivery predictable?
Container shipping is all messed up in the UK. A recent report claims that shippers cannot get their container cargo delivered on time. And the reason is not the driver shortage, or is it?
Apparently there is also a shortage of space for empty containers, and the empties have to be taken to a different place from where they are delivered. Some ports are refusing empty containers.
When you put that with the ‘blanked’ sailings, where ocean shipping lines simply omit a port from their rotation for a given voyage, it’s impossible to predict when your cargo will arrive. The nightmare has arrived.
By Charlie Bartlett, European Correspondent 13/10/2021
Supply Chain and Logistics 