The baking heat and drought in Germany have been the culprit for the recent low water levels on the Rhine river. According to Contargo, a barge operator, the water level on the Gauge of Kuab has decreased to 47cm, hitting a four-year low.
Congestion on US East Coast has been aggravated recently, weighing heavily on the supply chain. The shift in shipping container capacity from the Far East to the US continues. A growing number of containers get to be received and handled at East Coast Ports.
About 1800 manual workers at Port of Felixstowe planned to walk out in August as a gesture against the port officials. They are members of Unite, the UK's leading union. The regional officer of Unite, Miles Hubbard, believed that such a strike would yield adverse outcomes. At the same time, he insisted that workers needed to speak their own voices.