Nearly 2,000 workers at the English port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest shipping facility and which handles almost half of the country’s container traffic, began an eight-day strike on Sunday. A strike that controls the entry of Asian products into Europe.
The biggest impact of this strike – which aims to get better pay conditions – will be borne by “European countries that have Greater dependence on Asia” explained the economist Javier Santacruz in a conversation with EL ESPAÑOL-Invertia.
“The majority of Asian imports made by European countries pass through British ports. they are a logistics base and one of the main points of exchange for these goods,” he continued.
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Specifically, 60% of trade traffic between the UK and Asia passes through Felixstowe port facilities. “They have a much greater dependence on Asian imports than the rest of Europe,” the economist added.
But it is not the only European country with a strong dependence on Asia. “For European countries bordering the North Sea, such as France, the Netherlands or Germany, the strike at this cargo port can be a serious problem“.
The impact in the UK
In the UK, “more goods are transported by sea than by land,” explained Santacruz. And while there will still be an option to transport products by road, “the problem remains the high dependence on Asian imports, which will hurt domestic consumption.”
In the case of the big British stores, Santacruz recalled that “in recent years, the logistics capacity has not grown while the population has grown. pressure on the shelves sale It’s growingso the mishap of these features is a problem of great magnitude.”
In terms of shortage of certain chains “this is very likely to happenmainly in food,” warned Santacruz.
Although it is more difficult to predict shortages in the case of food chains, this is not the case for non-essential goods. In this line, the economist consulted by this newspaper is clear: “Imports of industrial products will be seriously affected, as they come mainly from Asia“.
Spain
In the case of Spain, the strike by almost 2,000 workers at the English port of Felixstowe will affect our country as the UK “is one of main destinations of our exportsespecially on fresh products that are made daily’.
In addition, “prepared, chilled or agro-food products are transported through the port, that is, what is transported by ship for profitability, not by truck because of distance. A major problem is that this port is blocked.”
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In short, “Spain is affected by the fact that the United Kingdom is the destination for our exports, but the biggest impact is on the rest of the European countries, which are more dependent on the Asian countries,” Santacruz stressed.
The figures of the port
Felixstowe, on the east coast of England, rules every year four million TEU (unit equivalent to a 20-foot container) and benefits from its proximity to European ports such as Le Havre (France), Antwerp (Belgium) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham recalled that this port was “extremely profitable”. This is evidenced by the fact that “in 2020, it received profits of 61 million pounds” (72 million euros).