2024-09-26 16:02:37
Of the US$14.893 billion in US imports from Colombia in 2023, according to the US Census Bureau, 61.3% of these external sales, or US$9.128 billion, entered by sea to the East Coast, the area where the stevedores’ strike would occur. The most affected would be agri-food products.
A potential strike by longshoremen on the US East Coast would have a significant and far-reaching impact on Colombian supply chains and products.
“The strike, which is scheduled to begin on October 1, 2024, would paralyze port operations, causing significant delays in the loading and unloading of goods. The disruption to the flow of goods could lead to a shortage of
imported products, but the most worrying thing for Colombia is the paralysis of its exports,” said Javier Díaz Molina, executive president of Analdex.
And according to the US Census Bureau, US$14.893 billion was imported from Colombia to the US in 2023, of which 61.3% of exports were made by sea to the East Coast. The main ports on this coast were Houston with US$2.791 billion, followed by the port of Newark with nearly US$1.013 billion, Corpus Christi with US$990 million, Port Everglades with US$853 million and Miami with US$483 million.
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“This possible strike would have very serious consequences for Colombian products due to the nature of the products we export, given that a large proportion of them are agricultural products,” said Díaz.
Some recommendations that should be taken into account by the country’s exporters are to establish alternative routes and ports on the West Coast, such as Los Angeles, or alternative ports for private use.
However, it should be noted that congestion and bottlenecks may occur at ports and in the Panama Canal; additional delivery times should be considered, if this option is viable, and the supply chain should be planned, in some cases taking into account air transport.
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