Brexit and Covid blamed as Asia-UK shipping rates increase fourfold
by Jillian Ambrose from Economics | The Guardian on (#5CJD4)
Port congestion and skeleton staffing cause shortage of freight containers while consumer demand rebounds
The cost of importing containers filled with consumer goods from Asia into the UK has reached a record high after a surge in demand in the weeks before Christmas and the UK's exit from the EU.
Shipping experts believe the UK has been dealt a double blow by the impact of the coronavirus, which has disrupted global shipping supply chains, and the end of the Brexit transition period, which caused a large increase in imports in the last months of 2020.
Related: UK food freight firms warn of looming 'catastrophe' from clogged ports
Related: 'Humanitarian crisis': UN panel decries Covid rules that trapped crews at sea
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