Publishing company Idesine can’t get hold of its books because they are stuck in congestion at the Port of Felixstowe. The ship carrying 4,000 of their volumes has been trying to dock since 31st October, according to a BBC report.
Colin Hoad of Idesine told the BBC that customers who have paid for books on pre-order are contacting his company, but he can’t guarantee delivery before Christmas.
There has been a surge in imports, partly due to large orders of PPE, but also because of companies stockpiling goods before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31st December 2020.
Congestion at English ports is so bad that some shipping firms have limited the amount of cargo they are prepared to bring to the UK. As well as Felixstowe, there are problems at London Gateway and Southampton. Empty containers are waiting to be shipped back to Asia.
One freight company increased its price for a 40ft container from Asia to the UK, from $1,700 at the end of September to $8,000 now. The high prices are likely to last at least until January.