FT: Mediterranean ports warn of overflowing storage yards in latest threat to supply chain

THE FINANCIAL TIMES reports:

Container ports around the western Mediterranean are nearing full capacity, raising the risk of higher inventory costs and component shortages for Europe’s retailers and manufacturers in the latest challenge to the region’s supply chains.

Port executives said they were dealing with overflowing storage yards and waits for vessels to berth following Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which has led to a surge in traffic at Algeciras and Barcelona in Spain and Tangier-Med in Morocco.

Denmark’s Maersk recently warned customers that “yard density” at the Port of Barcelona had increased due to high capacity as the port handled far higher than normal trans-shipment movements.

Maersk added that terminals in Algeciras and Tangier were also suffering. Alonso Luque, chief executive of TTI Algeciras, one of two container terminals in Algeciras, said his facility was “quite full” and had avoided severe congestion only by restricting the amount of business it took on.

“Capacity is very limited,” he said…

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