A 60-foot-high shipping container tower was seen in Norfolk, as Felixstowe struggles to cope with congestion caused both by a shortage in lorry drivers and the global cargo crisis.
Hundreds of the empty steel containers stretching for 350 feet are being stored on a former airfield off the A140 near Eye, Suffolk, just 26 miles from Britain’s biggest freight port.
Felixstowe Port stated that it doesn’t have any information about the metal mountain. However, shipping companies and hauliers don’t have to inform the port about their container arrangements.
MailOnline was told by an industry source that it was overflow from Felixstowe.
“There are not enough drivers to move empty containers, and lots of congestion all over the world because Covid – some ports are blocked in China and further afield and are just getting up to speed.
“So it’s like a game involving lots of moving pieces. This is what has happened: These containers are now snarled up at Felixstowe.
“Rather than leaving empty containers at ports and letting them clog up the port, what seems to have occurred is that a deal was made between the landowner and the port to temporarily store them there.

A few miles from Britain’s largest freight port, hundreds of steel containers that measure 350 feet in length are stored on an ex-airfield off the A140 near Eye.

Felixstowe Port stated that it doesn’t have any information about the metal mountain. Shipping companies and hauliers aren’t required to inform the port about their container arrangements

A photo taken from above on October 30, showing massive piles of shipping containers gathered at the Suffolk port
In recent months, Felixstowe has been experiencing severe congestion.
It was discovered that container ships were forced to leave the port by a lack of drivers and labour shortages in October. This hampered efforts to unload or reload ships.
The problem has been exacerbated by the increased Christmas demand.
Pictures from the port on the Suffolk coast showed containers piled up over the gigantic dockside, as the British International Freight Association said it understood average ‘dwell times’ for cargo at the port have nearly doubled in the last two weeks, from five to 9.7 days.

MailOnline was told by an industry source that it is overflow from Felixstowe. “There are not enough drivers to move empty containers around the world and there is a lot of congestion because of Covid. Some ports in China and further afield are blocked and are just getting up to speed.”

The source added: ‘So it’s like a game of Jenga with lots of moving pieces. What has happened is that these containers were snarled at Felixstowe.

Source said that rather than leaving empty containers at ports and letting them clog it even more, there was a deal made with the landowner to temporarily store them there.

Roy Humphreys, a car and commercial vehicle dealer, confirmed yesterday that the shipping containers were on the land but not theirs, but they declined to comment further
The backlog has impacted major retailers such as IKEA as well as major food companies like Nestle, the world’s largest producer of baby food, coffee, and chocolate. There are also tens to thousands of smaller UK businesses that are waiting for orders from around all over the globe.
Because it was easier to avoid Felixstowe, some cargo ships were being shipped to European ports with containers that had been moved into the UK via Dover.
Today, the world’s biggest freight company Maersk said logistics problems across the global shipping industry would last well into next year.
Roy Humphreys, a car and commercial vehicle dealer, confirmed yesterday that the shipping containers were on the land, but they declined to comment further.

The surrounding countryside and the differently colored shipping containers have created a bizarrely beautiful scene at the former Airfield.

Felixstowe has been suffering from severe congestion in recent months. It was revealed that container ships were forced to divert from Felixstowe’s port in October due to a lack of drivers and labour shortages. This hampered efforts unloading and reloading ships. Pictured: Lorries at the airport

Because it was easier to avoid Felixstowe, some cargo ships were being shipped to European ports with containers that had been moved into the UK via Dover. Other cargo ships were sent to European ports on smaller ships to less busy ports like Hull and Liverpool.