Supply Chain Research

The American Association of Port Authorities has warned that COVID-19 coronavirus related disruptions could cut handling by “20% or more compared to 2019” in Q1 2020. The severity of downturn wasn’t yet felt in January – volumes fell by just 2.7% – but will likely be felt first in LA and Long Beach where China represented 62.8% and 57.8% of inbound volumes respectively in 2019. The earlier SARS/MERS outbreaks didn’t have the same impact on supply chains and so don’t provide a good guide to the level of potential traffic declines. Disruptions caused by the early 2015 west coast U.S. port ...