Port Stoppages are Targets for Cargo Thieves. Here’s how to Fight Back.

Shippers in the UK may have déjà vu.

Remember when supply chain chaos caused more than 100 container ships to dock in China? When 77% of ports faced long turnaround times? When there was so much unattended freight on the railroads in the United States that thieves stole from it and littered the tracks, causing trains to derail?

When the cargo is at rest, it is also at risk. We’ve seen this escalate into stolen and damaged shipments and the UK’s largest container port is becoming increasingly risky.

Cargo is lying around because of an eight-day industrial dispute at the port of Felixstowe, which handles around 40% of all container traffic in the UK. The business disruption is expected to affect $4.7 billion worth of goods. With dockworkers threatening more strikes, the disruption could even last until Christmas. Worse still, Liverpool, Britain’s fourth busiest terminal, could also face a labor dispute.

Bottlenecks like these lead to overflows in the supply chain. Securing cargo begins at the port and extends to nearby loading yards, where ports cannot protect it and criminals are more likely to strike. In the UK, soft-sided trailers are common and are easier targets for thieves to break into.

As the disruptions continue, shippers are scrambling to keep cargo moving so it’s harder to steal. Let’s explore how stationary cargo became such a risk and what shippers can do to avoid delays in stagnant ports and limit the risk of cargo theft.

Dormant cargo is a sitting duck

Supply chain delays became mainstream news early in the pandemic, and one of the side effects was that criminals took notice. Just-in-time logistics doesn’t work, and there’s no silver bullet to fix the problem. Inevitably, there’s cargo waiting for the next actor in a supply chain to take over, and thieves are getting savvier at figuring out when and where cargo is being stored and what’s worth stealing.

Markings on certain containers signal the most valuable goods. Thieves usually can’t get away with the entire container, instead stealing expensive electronic equipment and ruining perishable shipments of food or medicine. If a seal is broken on these perishables, they cannot be sold. When a container sits idle, it’s much easier for criminals to search through and determine what they want and what they should leave behind.

Pick up a container on a train line. Privately owned rail operators have their own police force and are under no obligation to report crime, but reporting shows that cargo theft remains a major problem with organized gangs pursuing big goals. Five suspects were recently arrested in California for stealing $9 million worth of electronics. Authorities seized more than $1 million in goods and $250,000 in cash, still causing shippers a huge loss.

Movement and vision limitation risk

Cargo is safest when it’s moving. When you can plan your shipments with the smallest time window between collection and delivery, you give yourself more control.

However, there is more to an efficient supply chain than just optimizing the shipping schedule. You need to be agile to avoid delays you know are coming. For example, if you have a shipment in Felixstowe it’s too late now, but if you can see exactly where your cargo is, you might be able to make a change and change route before it reaches Liverpool, which could soon go dormant .

When these disputes end and the floodgates open again, there will be a capacity strain for everyone involved from the port to the final destination. Drivers, storage space, and secure areas to store cargo will all be in short supply, and supply chains will not yet function smoothly. In other words, the risk does not go away when operations resume.

You can limit risk by gaining insight into your shipments with trailer tracking or sensors. The more transparency you have, the lower your risk because you can make informed decisions. Some bottlenecks, like a ship blocking the Suez Canal, are unpredictable. If you know others are coming, such as For example, weeks of industrial action and knowing where your cargo is can potentially avoid the delays that have hurt the reputation of our supply chains.

Danny Ramon is Intelligence and Response Manager at overhaul.