As the U.S.–China trade war continues to escalate and tariffs on Chinese goods soar to 145%, global companies in the food and seafood sectors are warning that logistical risks—specifically, a shortage of shipping containers—may cause more damage than the tariffs themselves.
“We are more concerned about container availability than the 145% tariff,” said a senior executive at a major seafood company with operations in both Europe and North America. “Remember what happened during COVID—container prices surged from $2,000 to over $20,000. We fear a similar situation could happen again.”
Industry data supports these concerns. According to Bloomberg, container bookings from China to the U.S. have dropped by approximately 35%. Meanwhile, Splash247 reports a growing number of blank sailings, artificially reducing capacity and leaving containers stranded at ports.
This container shortage is fueling intense competition among exporters in Asia and Europe for equipment and vessel space. Major retailers like Walmart and Target are said to be rushing to ship goods out of China in anticipation of higher tariffs, putting even more pressure on container availability, according to Investors.com.
As a result, even with an overall decline in trade volume, spot freight rates are at risk of spiking—reminiscent of the pandemic period. This is a troubling scenario for exporters already grappling with high tariffs, rising input costs, and unstable supply chains.
