Container shortages in North America

Hapag-Lloyd is temporarily suspending overseas agricultural container shipments from North America and this has caused worry for specialty crop producers in Canada and the US. The decision comes as Chinese container demand has increased sharply as the economy recovers from COVID. Typically containers arrive from China to Western North American ports and then are shipped to the Prairies and Mid West to be filled with a variety of crops including lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans. Now, however, containers will be unloaded at the port and sent back to Asia empty. The decision will make shipping more difficult for North American exporters.