“There is a lot of relief that China is waking up after a long hiatus,” said George Lazaridis, head of research at Greece-based Allied Shipbroking. “But what happens if truck drivers and crane operators can’t work in Hamburg, Rotterdam or Los Angeles and New York. Who is going to pick up the boxes?” U.S. and European ports have generally been operating normally, although many sites have reported sharply reduced business as global trade has slowed under the pandemic. Shipping executives said they are taking new precautions to protect their own workers and that disruptions could come if some port workers get sick and are quarantined or if authorities impose blanket public lockdowns for an extended period. “While the situation is improving in Asia, especially China, new measures have been taken in some other places to protect the health of our staff,” French container line CMA CGM SA said in […]