U.S. port congestion.

Traffic at U.S. ports gets a lot of unwanted attention these days, due to congestion from long lines of cargo ships waiting off the East, West and Gulf coasts. The situation in Europe is not very encouraging in this regard either.

Six of the 10 European ports, including Rotterdam, Hamburg and Felixstowe in the United Kingdom, have traffic problems.

Of the U.S. ports, Houston and Charleston, also show delays, while Los Angeles and Long Beach were the only ones with the worst rating. Of the top 20 ports, the only ones in the green as the least congested were New York and Savannah.

**Source: Flexport

According to the data, the average backlog of shipments from China to the U.S. West Coast increased by 114% in 2021 compared to the previous year. The route to Europe, in comparison, recorded an increase of 172%.