Tsunami, 53 & 54. Freight Problems

Of late, it seems that I am writing every other day. I've been walking most of my mornings, then rushing around at lunch time, and finally giving my classes. By the time I finish at eight, I just want to leave the study and be with my family. If my little laptop worked, I would write in the kitchen, but it doesn't, and I hate writing lengthy pieces on my phone. 

This morning, we have had some rain showers. From the radar, it seems that more are just offshore and heading in, so I won't run the risk of getting caught in the rain with no shelter around. I'll go walking again tomorrow. The last two times I went, I took just over two hours, and trekked over eight and a half kilometers. A month ago that would not have been possible for me, so things are getting better. 

The container ship that is blocking the Suez canal might create more than a petroleum shortage. Already, the price of a barrel of crude has risen on the markets, which will in turn lead to a rise in prices at gas stations, of course. But petroleum isn't the only good that is facing problems with the bottleneck.

Toilet paper might start disappearing from shelves, again. It seems that there's been a problem for over a year, already, and the blockage is merely exasperating it. Toilet paper is made from wood pulp transported in special cargo vessels known as break bulk and used expressly for bulk shipping. But, an increase in demand of ships that carry regular shipping containers means that there are problems to ship the wood pulp in the quantities demanded by the industry. With the blockage, shipping times are going to get longer as ships are detoured around the Cape of Good Hope. While stockpiling may not be the answer, grabbing a couple of packages instead of just one might be a good idea in the coming weeks. Unless you still have a garage full from last year's stockpiling binge.

But it goes beyond toilet paper. The Suez canal is one of the most important shipping routes in the world, in use since 1869, and the main supply route between Europe and Asia, and also important in shipping from the east coast of North and South America. This will mean, if the blockage continues for several days (and some are talking of possibly more than a week), that companies will start to notice shortages soon. This will mean possible shortages for consumers, and, as shipping companies send supplies around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing shipping costs, increased prices, as well.

This, on top of the economic crisis from the pandemic, means we won't be living the good life again for a few years, yet. And that many more will probably lose jobs and decent living conditions, and may never recover to where they were before. Part of the problem lies in abandoning manufacturing in favor of other industries. For so many years production has been sent off to countries with lower salaries and, therefore, lower manufacturing costs. Shipping was cheaper than maintaining those industries in Europe. Now, with a burp caused by a sandstorm and gale-force winds, we are paying for our past decisions.   

Life continues.