by Peregrine Storrs-Fox, Risk Management Director, TT Club

With supply chain congestion and widespread delays in the container trades currently being experienced, abandoned cargo is likely to cause headaches for many stakeholders, including ports and terminals, forwarders and logistics companies, and, of course, carriers.

Cargo abandonment has always been problematic; the surge in container demand over recent months has, however, compounded container ship capacity issues, port congestion and consequent severe transit delays.

Such hold-ups and potential additional costs to the cargo owners do little to alleviate the practice of cargo interests to abandon their shipments when faced with circumstances such as loss of their market for goods or even bankruptcy.

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