Mr Bourke said the port was urgently searching for backup sites to store the box overflow with more imports arriving backlog of cargo ordered before the coronavirus crisis was now arriving.

Shippers are concerned about detention and demurrage charges, should they be unable to unpack and return containers to shipping lines, reports London's Loadstar.

"If full boxes are to be stored, we need the shipping lines to provide container detention relief," said Neil Chambers, director of the Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA).

Mr Chambers noted that some shipping lines, including Maersk and CMA CGM, had already rolled-out contingency storage solutions, which may provide some respite, and services by warehousing matchmakers such as uTenant could also help to address the problem.

But the carrier lobby group Shipping Australia said detention and demurrage was a vital aspect of container supply chains. It said the reduced demand for forward import orders would mean carriers would be forced to reduce services to survive.

"This is likely to impact on the availability of equipment such as food-grade and reefer containers for export, and on the availability of slots and plugs for exports," said Shipping Australia.

"With this outlook, it is even more important now that containers are unpacked and returned so they remain in the supply chain."

Australia's terminals have made no allowance to extend free time, which Shipping Australia said was a "good thing, as we all have a vested interest in seeing units picked up from the terminal, minimising the risk of congestion".

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