With the Ever Given incident in the Suez Canal approaching its one-year anniversary, it’s worth taking a look at how it helped shift supply chains around the world, with the help of Zencargo’s insight.

“While supply chain complications have always been on the minds of those in the know, the Suez canal blockage one year ago firmly put them on the radar of the general public. Whilst this ‘memeable’ six-day event led to immediate delays, with ships queuing for miles to get into ports and re-routing to deliver goods, the long-term damage to international supply chains from this and following events became apparent in the coming months.”
“With recurring complications as diverse as pandemic disruption, the Yantian Port closure, new Brexit regulations, the fuel crisis, and widespread political instability, the reality is that businesses simply can’t afford to bet on a smooth-running global supply chain.”
“It also shows once and for all that global news is supply chain news and visa versa. This has always been the case, but for many, it took the striking images of the queuing boats at Suez to fully comprehend just how sensitive we are to disruption.” – Alex Hersham, CEO, Zencargo

“With all that has gone on in the last year, it feels like more than twelve months have passed since the Ever Given iconically blocked the Suez canal. When the 1,300-foot cargo ship lodged itself sideways across one of earth’s central trading arteries, the global supply chain effectively stood still. Over 350 ships, oil tankers, and bulk carriers backed up in a queue behind the Ever Given, and some vessels even took an unusual detour, down around the Cape of Good Hope.”
“There are many lessons to learn from all this. Businesses need to be versatile when it comes to their supply chains and procurement. Modern technology makes agility possible and simple, and companies can now for the first time ever, oversee their entire logistical operations from a desk in London, Hong Kong, or New York. When a seismic event like this blockage, or a Covid-related port closure or natural disaster, happens, businesses that have visibility across their supply chain can adapt fastest and use data to find alternate solutions and prosper.”
“An essential factor is the automation of the mundane side of procurement and supply chains. Professionals need to be saved from time-consuming manual processes as much as possible so they have the freedom to find creative and lateral solutions. The world is an uncertain place right now and so we can expect agile businesses that make data-driven decisions to prosper.” – Jack Macfarlane, CEO, DeepStream

Zencargo is a London-based logistics service provider that helps businesses – including Vivienne Westwood, Swoon Furniture, Soho Home, and Farfetch – make smarter supply chain decisions. DeepStream is also a London-founded cloud-based software company using AI to help businesses like Maersk and Britishvolt improve the efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability of their supply chains by streamlining the RFx (Request For Anything) processes into one system.
Source: Zencargo