1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Supply Chain Bottlenecks at U.S. Ports November 10, 2021 The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the potential vulnerabilities of global supply chains, which divide production processes (e.g., raw
2、materials sourcing, parts assembly, distribution) into discrete stages located in multiple countries to achieve efficient production. Companies rely on a complex, global network of transportation services, primarily container shipping, to move intermediate goods between multiple countries for proces
3、sing before they are shipped globally as final goods. The pandemic has disrupted regular trade flows when various Asian countries issued COVID-19 lockdowns at factories and ports and reopening at different times, congesting seaports globally when goods eventually leave Asia. In fall 2020, goods bega
4、n backing up at U.S. seaports as the pandemic shifted U.S. consumers buying habits from the service sector to the goods sector. From March through July 2021, retail sales (excluding automobiles and gasoline) were 20% higher than for the same period in 2019. Many retail goods are wholly or partially
