Some vessels were diverted, but “local vendors offering transloads were not prepared for the volume and the need for expeditious service for these time-sensitive commodities,” comments Compres. “This created a substantial economic burden for the importers affected.”
It didn’t help that a subtle shift in some shipping patterns was already underway. “Importers are taking more advantage of arrivals at different ports to avoid trucking costs,” adds Compres.
The change, she says, was evident by growth at ports not previously known as “big perishables terminals” like Houston and Savannah. Yet all were affected by the aftermath of the hurricanes to some degree.
Contingency Plans and Power Losses
For many in the industry, the storm’s impact created immediate challenges like power outages affecting phones, internet, and refrigeration. As many as 10 million people in Florida were without power, and it took over a week for some to get it back.
Frank Ramos, president of The Perishable Specialist, Inc. in Miami, felt very fortunate despite the devastation. Although his business had days without power and there were closures at airports and ports, the “majority of cargo we had scheduled to arrive into South Florida was diverted to other ports and handled smoothly,” he says.
Others, like Advance Customs & Brokers, swung into action with a hurricane season contingency plan, hoping to limit disruption to customers. “In addition to maintaining generators, which provided the ability for us to continue work in our office,” Compres shares, “we sent three people out of state to provide smooth service and be able to comply with all the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) regulations.”
Caribbean Clients
In addition to Florida’s recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma, the islands sprinkled throughout the Caribbean bore the brunt of Irma, Maria, and Nate. Trade in the region was already struggling, according to Tannehill, who says 2016 saw some growth in the Caribbean but a distinct “softness in the economy.” He attributes the weakened demand to political instability in the United States and Miami’s Zika outbreak in 2017—but was heartened with the beginnings of a rebound.
Tannehill believes this year, 2018, will most likely be marked by rebuilding efforts for the islands devastated by Mother Nature. “It’s really about where we go from here; the northern half of the Caribbean chain was pretty devastated across the board,” he says. “There are at least five to six islands that will take anywhere from a year to two years to rebound.”
Back to Business: Healthy & Convenient
Despite the many problems, buyers and sellers just wanted to get back to business as quickly as possible. And a big part of the current market revolves around rising consumer demand for fresh products that are both healthy and convenient.
