Implications of COVID 19 on the US container port distribution system: import cargo routing by Walmart and Nike

 The purpose of the latest portstudy of PortEconomics members Theo Notteboom and Pierre Cariou is to discuss the implications of COVID-19 on container import flows via the US port distribution system.

The authors employ statistics collected for more than 21 US ports and for more than 550 000 container shipments by Walmart and Nike to identify trends and potential shifts in the US port distribution system. Results unveil different changes in distribution channels during the pandemic era, between aggregated port level and industry level. These differences are specific to firms and could be explained by the origin of flows, carrier selection to transport cargos and US port/inland distribution systems. The portstudy- which has published in the International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications- contributes to a better understanding of the different role played by ports for industries (retailers, Footwear & Apparel) and shows that the ability to adapt supply chains to a major disruption remains subject to the initial choices on the location of production, on carrier choices and on port/inland distribution networks.

The authors’ version of the study can be downloaded via PortEconomics.

 To cite this article: Pierre Cariou & Theo Notteboom (2022): Implications of COVID-19 on the US container port distribution system: import cargo routing by Walmart and Nike, International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, DOI: 10.1080/13675567.2022.2088708