Northwest fruit producers are starting to feel the deep impact of the shipping crisis.
Even though fewer ships are stuck in port, the problem is now equipment. A Washington state exporter says the lack of bookings and containers is having a ripple effect because they cannot load fruit, which is impacting cost.
“What that has done, on top of that, is raise the freight costs. We’ve seen nearly doubling in almost all the freight lanes we ship our products to. So, it’s kind of a double-whammy. We have a hard time getting the products shipped in the first place and the cost has skyrocketed. The trouble is, you can’t really count on it, well I mean, from day-to-day things change.”
Exporters have been battling the problem for more than a year now. They say issues that started at the ports of L.A. and Long Beach are now plaguing all major pacific coast ports, including Seattle.
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