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Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2021

Are cargo ships being prevented by US states from unloading goods, causing a backlog?

Christiana Dillard, Lead Stories

no

Although there are dozens of waiting ships at U.S. ports resulting in a delivery backlog, the backlog is the result of supply chain problems, changes in consumer demand and port worker availability, not from states preventing ships from unloading their goods as a social media post claims.

A spokesperson for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development told Lead Stories: "There are many complex reasons that lead to congestion and delays, but there is no action by port authorities that prevents these ships from unloading."

A report by that organization cited changing demands during the pandemic: "Changes in consumption and shopping patterns triggered by the pandemic, including a surge in electronic commerce … have in fact led to increased import demand for manufactured consumer goods, a large part of which is moved in shipping containers."

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