Northeastern US ports shut down ahead of Tropical Storm Henri's arrival, threatening to further snarl shipping supply chains

• Tropical storm Henri has forced the closure of ports in southeastern New England.
• The expected gale-force winds make ship movement and waterfront operations unsafe, the Coast Guard said.
• Shipping companies are still suffering from pandemic-related delays and the Suez Canal blockage earlier this year.

Ports in southeastern New England have been shut down by the US Coast Guard ahead of the pummeling winds and heavy rain that will slam the region as Tropical Storm Henri moves through on Sunday.

The ports of Narragansett Bay, Mount Hope Bay, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, Vineyard Sound, and Nantucket Sound are currently at hurricane condition ZULU, meaning the ports are closed due to gale force winds and no ships are allowed in or out, the Coast Guard said in a statement late Saturday.

Previously, the ports were at condition YANKEE, meaning a tropical or hurricane-force storm is predicted to make landfall at the port within 24 hours.

Henri, and its subsequent port closures, come at a time where a recent surge in shipping costs is slowing down the global supply chain and causing mass shortages of goods.

The pandemic badly damaged supply chains last year, and things were only made worse by the blockage of the Suez Canal earlier this year.

One major shipping alliance made cutbacks of up to 22% on trips between Asia and Europe during the spring of 2020, Insider reported. Between Asia and North America, carriers slashed some 20% of capacity.

In 2012, after hurricane Sandy hit the east coast, the US Coastguard reported $70 billion in damages to over 180 ports in the region. It months to recover from.