Hundreds of shipping containers that have been littering the landscape in Suffolk for nearly a year remain in place as the nearby port of Felixstowe contends with massive cargo volumes, rising costs, and a lack of HGV drivers.
During the past year, dozens of 40ft containers have accumulated in fields throughout the county, including one location near Mendlesham where containers have remained stationary for nearly a year.
The containers, which cost approximately £5,000 each, have been placed in enormous towers throughout Suffolk.
Hundreds were observed yesterday at the abandoned airstrip in Mendlesham, in the same same location as last year, while hundreds more were spotted at a massive stable near Newmarket.
According to the BBC, the Mendlesham property is owned by haulier Gary Banham. Mr. Banham could not be reached by MailOnline for comment.
Huge stacks of containers are believed to be the result of high shipping costs, a lack of HGV drivers, and a massive demand for goods following the pandemic; however, the precise reason for the containers at the Mendlesham site is unknown.
Yesterday, thousands of workers at the nearby Felixstowe port began a strike that will continue into the following month.
Last year, the UK’s main cargo port, Felixstowe, was severely congested, forcing container ships to divert to other ports.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), an increase of 1.5 percent in global inflation could result from a rise in shipping costs.
Since it was photographed for the first time a year ago, the five-foot-tall mountain of containers has shown no sign of moving.
This aerial photograph depicts the container storage facility in November 2021, during the peak of Felixstowe’s supply chain problems.
Hundreds of containers remain on the site, which is purportedly owned by haulier Gary Banham, as of today.
Shipping containers from firms including Maersk, Cisco, and Evergreen could be spotted at the location.
The container mountain as viewed from above, eleven months after the initial photograph was taken
The mountain is located near Mendlesham in Suffolk, not far from Felixstowe harbor.
Felixstowe Port stated that it was unaware of the metal mountain in Eye last year because shipping companies and hauliers are not required to inform the port of their container arrangements.
Aerial photograph taken on October 30 showing massive stacks of shipping containers at the Suffolk port.
The British International Freight Association reported that the average ‘dwell periods’ for goods at the port virtually quadrupled in two weeks, from five to nine and a half days. Photographs from the port on the Suffolk coast showed containers heaped high on the massive dockside.
Last year, over one thousand storage containers arrived without explanation on an abandoned RAF installation in nearby Eye, leaving the inhabitants bewildered.
The site is held by the automotive and commercial vehicle company Roy Humphrey Group, and partner Oliver Humphrey stated at the time that his company had been contacted by a local haulage company in need of storage space for containers.
On a former airport off the A140 near Eye, Suffolk, hundreds of empty steel containers measuring 350 feet in length and 60 feet in height were being stockpiled barely 26 miles from Britain’s largest container port.
What’s happening? THREE primary causes of container stacking
According to industry statistics, the colossal amount of containers in Suffolk is a result of three major issues.
1 – GLOBAL SHIPPING CRISIS
When economies closed and reopened at different periods as they dealt with Covid, the mechanism for delivering commodities around the world ceased to function effectively.
This caused shipping companies to fall behind in gathering empty containers from European ports and transporting them back to Asian facilities.
The container shortfall is being aggravated by a scarcity of personnel throughout the worldwide supply chain, including sailors, haulers, and warehouse workers, as a result of illness or quarantine.
In recent weeks, photographs have surfaced depicting hundreds of ships waiting to reach west coast ports because they are unable to discharge their containers.
2 – LORRY DRIVER SHORTAGE
There are insufficient truck drivers to pick up and transport fully loaded containers and return the empty ones, exacerbating the problem. Today, Maersk, the world’s largest freight transporter, stated that this was an issue in the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the United Kingdom, the shortage has been mostly attributed to Covid and Brexit, which has caused many drivers to pursue more comfortable careers or return to Europe.
Since last year, the business has also seen a considerable number of drivers retire, and 40,000 HGV driver tests have been canceled due to the lockout.
3 – HOLIDAY HURRY
Prior to Christmas, there is always an increase in demand for goods, which exacerbates congestion at ports.
4 – RISING SHIPPING COSTS
According to IMF data, shipping costs have increased to as much as four times their levels at the outbreak’s onset.
According to sources, it is now cheaper to purchase brand-new shipping containers than to reship used ones, as a result of the rising cost of fuel.
According to the IMF, the increase in transportation costs in 2021 might contribute an additional 1.5 percentage points to inflation in 2022.
They are believed to have originated from all around the world, particularly Taiwan and China, two significant production centers.
Since the West imports significantly more from China than it exports, many empty shipping containers are returned to China.
Industry websites say that since the beginning of the pandemic, shipping costs have climbed by up to 350 percent due to rising fuel expenses and a lack of trained drivers.
This has resulted in backlogs at UK ports, as some corporations choose to purchase new shipping containers rather than reuse those returned from China.
In the United Kingdom and Europe, there is a substantial industry for the rental and resale of shipping containers for storage and conversion.
Maersk, the largest shipping business in the world, used the Eye site to hold empty containers so that additional goods could arrive at Felixstowe.
A insider in the sector told MailOnline, ‘Essentially, it’s excess from Felixstowe.
‘As a result of Covid, there are insufficient drivers to transport empty containers and a great deal of congestion around the world; several ports in China and further afield have been halted and are only now resuming normal operations.
Therefore, it resembles a game of Jenga with many moving parts. What has occurred is that these containers have been entangled at Felixstowe.
Instead of leaving empty containers at the port and allowing them to further clog it, it appears that an agreement has been reached with the landowner to temporarily keep them there.
It follows a year in which the adjacent Felixstowe Port struggled to handle the volume of freight flowing through due to a lack of HGV drivers and Brexit complications.
This week, after the union Unite rejected a salary proposal, further strike action began at the port and will continue until at least October 5.
Around 1,900 union members went on strike for eight days last month, demanding a pay increase to meet the current rate of inflation, which is approximately 10%.
The port expressed “extreme disappointment” over the continuation of strike action.
Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, stated, “Felixstowe and CK Hutchison [the port’s owners] are both obscenely wealthy, but instead of offering a reasonable wage offer, they have attempted to impose a real terms pay drop.”
Since the commencement of this dispute, Unite has provided its members in Felixstowe with unwavering support, and this will continue until the matter is resolved.
Phil Pemberton, Unite’s full-time convenor at the port, told the BBC: ‘After the initial strike action that we took, we invited the firm to meet with us to negotiate a solution.
They have elected not to, which we consider unprofessional.
Therefore, we felt it was our responsibility to exert greater pressure on the corporation to meet with us and attempt to resolve the situation as amicably as possible.
We’ve been forced to engage in another eight-day strike because the firm refuses to communicate with us.
The Port of Felixstowe stated, “We are really dismayed that Unite has declared this additional strike action.” The collective bargaining process has reached its conclusion, and there is no chance of reaching an agreement with the union.
The port is in the process of adopting a very fair 7% plus £500 pay raise.
“The salary increase took effect on January 1, when CPI inflation was 5.4%,” One branch of Unite at the port has already presented the identical salary proposal to its members, who voted in favor of accepting it.
The next wage increase is scheduled for 1 January 2023, and we will consult with Unite as usual.