US retailer Costco has said it is chartering three small containerships to combat port congestion and rising freight costs.
The company has also leased "several thousand containers" as part of its drive to bring in goods from Asia to the US and Canada.
This is according to Costco's chief financial officer Richard Galanti, who was speaking on a call with analysts.
Giant companies such as Ikea, Home Depot, Walmart and John Lewis have all claimed to be chartering ships or slots, and buying containers, but brokers have been sceptical.
One source told TradeWinds that there is no evidence of direct chartering and the deals probably just represent the shippers taking extra space and trying to show the big lines they can operate independently.
Costco officials declined to provide details on who is operating the vessels or which ports are being used.
Six times the normal price
Galanti said the moves would stop the group paying six times the normal price on shipping or containers through a third party.
He added that each vessel will carry between 800 and 1,000 boxes over a one-year charter period.
Costco expects to make about 10 deliveries over the next year using these vessels, accounting for about 20% of its imports from Asia, he said.
Galanti added that inflationary factors "abound" at the moment.
"Higher labour costs, higher freight costs, higher transportation demand, along with container shortages and port delays. It's a lot of fun right now," he said.
Galanti said Costco's standard roll-out time for new products in its stores has doubled in some cases.
Furniture, toys, computers, video games and appliances had the biggest delays.
