'Worldwide shipping problems to put further pressure on prices'

Worldwide shipping woes that have sent prices of food, clothes and goods soaring are set to continue for years, putting further pressure on cash-strapped households and businesses, a logistics giant has warned.

EV Cargo, which handles logistics and supply chains for the likes of Asda, Sainsbury’s and Next, said pressures that have hit shipping prices and availability are set to take years to fully resolve, with fuel and China lockdowns continuing to impact supply chains.

The group cautioned this will intensify the cost-of-living crisis, compounding inflation pressures as firms are forced to put up prices.

“It’s going to take a period of years to stabilise and get back to normal,” Heath Zarin, founder and chief executive of EV Cargo, told The Independent.

“It’s very serious overall and another reason why inflation and higher prices are likely to be with us for longer than anybody would like. There will be ups and downs but there won’t be a massive form of relief from elevated prices.”

EV, which also transports goods for firms including Kraft Heinz, Dyson and drinks firm AB InBev, is also facing soaring fuel costs, but is hoping to turn to technology and innovation in supply chains to help offset the costs and, in turn, make savings for businesses, stated the report.

The shipping disruption has led to soaring costs and poor container availability for a raft of firms, in particular those that import goods from Asia, where a zero Covid policy has knocked ocean freight.

Staffing issues in ports across the UK, America and worldwide have further compounded the issue.

EV Cargo, the UK’s biggest, privately-held, logistics business, operates road, sea and air freight both in the UK and internationally.Its international logistics operations manage 200,000 containers of sea freight annually and six million kilograms of air freight monthly. It also has a fleet of 20,000 delivery vehicles and a team of 5,000 UK-based, logistics workers, including 2,200 truck drivers.