I would never have overthought about places like Hawaii or other remotely desolate regions of the world that rely on the constant movement of supply chains. The commentary provided by Victor Restis, president of Enterprises Shipping & Trading S.A., is fascinating and eye-opening.
Yes, Hawaii is isolated, sitting in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, about 2,500 miles from the nearest port, which would be in California. But Hawaii, I would argue, is exceptionally fortunate by its status as a state of the United States of America, and its unique location. It sits between the continental United States and Asian nations, including Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and so on. This not only makes it a vital port that undoubtedly imports and exports on both sides, but also serves a midway destination for trade between the U.S. and those Asian countries.
The article points out that Hawaii operates 10 commercial harbors across the six major islands, which means that it is one busy state in the global supply chain system. Great to know that it was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in terms of shipping and receiving.
Mr. Restis points out that the overall shipping market was affected, but it seems like the industry was able to address any challenges that the global pandemic presented. And, thankfully! Imagine if supply chains around the world shut down because of COVID-19?
This article makes me wonder about other isolated locations and what they experienced or are still experiencing because of COVID-19. What about Iceland, New Zealand, Tasmania, or American Samoa?
In Tasmania, which sits just south of Australia, there are reports that lobster and abalone export markets are currently at risk of crashing. The article states, “The Seafood Trade Advisory Group, a coalition of fresh seafood exporters and researchers in Australia, confirmed the local government had closed wholesale markets, which process imported and local seafood, meats, and horticultural products, and were frequented by thousands of people a day.”
It looks as if one of Tasmania’s leading trading partner, China, has placed a hold on these products as it tests produce for coronavirus. This creates a massive backlog for Tasmania as the fishers are still reeling in the product with no place to export them. It seems that for now, several fishers are driving around rural country towns selling the lobster (and chips) from a food van. Oh, how I would love to visit that food truck!
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