The period in which the Covid-19 pandemic spread to has made it difficult and costly for the U.S. freight forwarders and shippers forward or receive goods, But this difficulty has proved to be more pronounced for dangerous goods shipments. This is highlighted by a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the information agency of the U.S. Congress analyzing and investigating the use of funds and other matters.

The GAO report explains that the health crisis has had a significant impact on the maritime transport sector, leading to the congestion of ports, a high demand for cargo space on the ships and the volatility of ocean shipping rates. Freight forwarders and shippers active in importing or Hazardous Materials Export Surveyed by the GAO stated that they were particularly affected between 2020 and 2020. 2022 during the peak of the pandemic. In particular, all six shippers of dangerous goods interviewed said that they had had difficulty securing cargo space on ships, and five said they had experienced long delays in their own shipments. Shippers attributed these difficulties security risks and additional requirements associated with dangerous goods that ocean carriers were less likely to likely to load onto their ships.

The GAO report highlights that if imports and U.S. exports of dangerous goods have increased since 2018 2020, from 2020 to 2022 imports of these cargoes are stagnated and exports fell. In imports of dangerous goods have increased by almost +32% from 2018 to 2020, but subsequently grew less than +1%; Exports of hazardous substances have increased by +19% from 2018 to 2020 and subsequently decreased by -7%. On the other hand, imports and exports of products do not have grown at a higher rate during the pandemic, given that maritime carriers that favoured the shippers of non-dangerous goods who paid more sea freight High.