US seafood importers appear to be suffering mixed experiences at ports, with some reporting faster clearance times and wider container availability, while others point to continued congestion and tight freezer space across the country.

Following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the seafood industry and many others suffered from soaring shipping rates, reduced shipping options and fallout from port congestion as they battled for space aboard vessels.

Container rates quadrupled as the pandemic set in, rising particularly steeply in 2021, and are still far above those seen before the health crisis began.