About 1,900 port workers went on strike at the Port of Felixstowe from August 21 to 28. "To protest the proposed pay rise. At the end of July, union members voted overwhelmingly for strike action.

As the UK's largest container port, Felixstowe handles about 4m TEUs a year, or about 48 per cent of the country's container volume, and is a regular port of call on Asia-Europe trunk routes.

Phil Ruben, executive director of SCALA, a supply chain and logistics consultancy, noted that British import ships from China and other Asian ports had already set sail when the strike was announced.

When decided to strike, over the past few days due to arrive in felix ships have left China, this means that some importers don't get enough warning to take action, and may not be able to arrange shipping routes, in the case of continuous interruption, supply chain flexibility now to business continuity is more important than ever before.

An eight-day strike at the British port of Felixstowe may have already affected more than 30 ship services, with more delays expected later in the week, according to sources.

The following ships may be affected by the strike

If available or planned

Please contact the shipping company to confirm the situation

BF FORTALEZA
BG IRELAND
COSCO SHIPPING STAR
COSCO VIETNAM
CSCL BRISBANE
EVELYN MAERSK
EVER ALP
HENRIKA SCHULTE
JAZAN
MSC ALLEGRA
MSC CANCUN
MSC CLORINDA
MSC DAISY
MSC FLAVIA
MSC GENEVA
MSC INGRID
MSC ISTANBUL
MSC LA SPEZIA
MSC LONDON
MSC MARGRIT
MSC MELISSA
MSC MIRJA
MSC PALOMA
MSC SARAH
MSC SORAYA
MSC SVEVA
MSC TERESA
OOCL HONG KONG
SPIRIT
SVEN D
VILNIA MAERSK
WEC DE HOOGH
YM EVOLUTION

As a major import port, Felixstowe has a large number of empty containers sitting on its docks for re-entry to Asia, and the eight-day strike will worsen the situation.

ontainer xChange noted that Felixstowe has experienced congestion and a glut of containers over the past two years. Felixstowe's average hovered around 0.9 in 2022, one of the highest levels in Europe, according to the Container xChange Container Availability Index (CAx), where an index above 0.5 indicates a surplus of containers.

Felixstowe's container availability index readings suggest that terminal operators and shipping companies may struggle to clear storage areas for boxes, especially empty ones, even before strike action begins. This disruption will lead to further loss of operational efficiency at the terminals and hinterlands, and will also have an impact on shipping networks serving within Europe and between Asia and Europe. Our proprietary data shows that the strike caused containers to pile up in docks and yards, adding to the logistical problems that have occurred in Europe this summer, with low water levels on the Rhine river forcing many containers into rail, trucking networks as barges become increasingly difficult to move.

In Britain, workers at the Port of Liverpool voted in favour of strike action over pay, although no date has been set. Following strikes earlier in the summer at ports such as Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshavn, strikes at other German ports are also likely.