So far, Coexport has not reported any direct problems, but has recommended that companies consider possible alternate routes to move their merchandise to and from the United States.
The trade that El Salvador has with the rest of the world could be affected in the coming days, if the strike maintained by the more than 45,000 dockers in the ports of the east coast of the United States is aggravated.
The strike, which began on Monday, affects more than 15 maritime terminals located on the east coast of the American country, through which 43% of the U.S. maritime trade passes and from where Salvadoran products for export and import also move.
So far, the El Salvador Exporters Corporation (COEXPORT) does not report any direct impact on the country, but they did issue an official statement alerting companies to the problem. They also gave recommendations on the measures they can take to maintain their trade smooth and ensure their merchandise on time.
Are we warning of how the problem is evolving. So far there is no impact, but if this is lengthening, it can cause a problem at the global level and also for us,” said Silvia Cuéllar, president of Coexport.
Some of the terminals affected by the dockers’ strike, which demand a wage increase, are Boston, Newark, Charleston, Jacksonville, Virginia, Miami, among others.
The trade union has asked companies to check directly with their logistics and customs service providers the continuation of their operations.
They have also been advised to consider possible alternative routes to reduce the impact on the supply chain, such as land trade, although this would represent an increase in their tariff costs for companies.
Cuéllar assures that if the strike is maintained, this could cause a saturation in the ports and therefore a slowdown of all delivery processes, which would be a serious problem in the coming months, when international trade increases for the Christmas and new year holidays.
But in addition, it could make maritime fares more expensive, which had managed to stabilize, after they shot between 2022 and 2023.
After the pandemic, the price of freight costs between $18,000 and $25,000, depending on your country of origin. This cost was reduced gradually and to date, Cuéllar estimates that these are around $3,000 to $5,000 depending on the type of product, container size and destination port.
Previous problems
The saturation of ports and the increase in tariffs were already two problems that El Salvador had been facing since the beginning of the year with the problems of Puerto Quetzal, in Guatemala and with the Panama Canal, which had to reduce the passage of large-scale ships, due to the lack of rains.
In the different ports there are different problems that affect the handling of maritime cargo, said the representative of the export sector.
And in El Salvador, it has also affected the saturation of the Port of Acajutla, in Sonsonate, the only active maritime terminal, to receive containers.
That has forced many companies to bolster their inventories and place orders more time in advance, anticipating logistical problems.
This international problem adds to the negative numbers of exports, which according to data from the Central Reserve Bank (CRB) had a year-on-year fall of 5% in September and have dragged negative numbers throughout the year.
This article has been translated after first appearing in La Prensa Grafica