US port delays: Outcome of holidays will determine if supply chain crisis extends into 2023, experts say

With the U.S. past the peak of consumer demand and the winter holidays nearly over, experts say the next couple of months will be critical to determine whether the supply chain crisis brought on by the pandemic will extend into 2023.  

Aaron Terrazas, director of economic research at Convoy Inc., a digital freight networking company, told FOX Business that the congestion at the ports has stabilized in recent weeks, but isn’t necessarily better.

"It doesn’t really look like it has gotten substantially better in that the throughput, the number of boxes coming off of boats and onto trucks and warehouses, has basically stayed flat," Terrazas said. "But the number of ships waiting at anchor has declined, largely due to fewer inbound ships."  

Consumer-based imports peak, Terrazas said, between August and October. Historically, there is a lull between November and January and going into the Lunar New Year. Because of this, ports are usually able to catch up on the backlog of delays.