HIGHLIGHTS
- Shipping companies are attempting to reduce freight delays by transferring ships to another port.
- Container ship diversions have caused congestion at Chinese ports, particularly Shanghai.
- According to freight forwarders, port congestion may spread to the United States and Europe. Container ships, according to Zencargo’s Herham, may be unable to stop in Chinese ports due to potentially extended congestion.
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Container ships docked in Shanghai
Shipping companies are attempting to reduce freight delays by transferring ships to another port. Ships arriving in Ningbo, for example, had to be diverted to the port of Xiamen in southern China. The reason for this is that, following the Covid-19 outbreak, several trucking services near the port have been temporarily halted.
Container ship diversions have caused congestion at Chinese ports, particularly Shanghai. Meanwhile, other Chinese port cities are grappling with the new Covid variety.
Furthermore, because the ships arrived in Shanghai, the ships here were forced to postpone their sailing timetable. According to freight forwarders, port congestion may spread to the United States and Europe. Container ships, according to Zencargo’s Hersham, may be unable to stop in Chinese ports due to potentially extended congestion.
“The port congestion issue, together with the Omicron outbreak and the impending Lunar New Year in China, will continue to impair the replenishment cycle this quarter,” said Josh Brazil, vice president Supply chain manager at the project of logistics intelligence firm.
The Covid-19 outbreak sparked alarm at Chinese ports
Residents and truck drivers in Shenzhen, the country’s innovation capital, are being tested for Covid-19 to avert possible epidemics. This is made worse by the fact that cargo will have to wait longer than normal at the port. Furthermore, the Shekou station has begun to limit deliveries due to a lack of drivers.
Meanwhile, officials in Tianjin (northern China) are attempting to halt the spread of the Omicron form by requiring employees to take half a day off to be tested for COVID. According to Alex Hersham, CEO of digital cargo shipping firm Zencargo, capacity is expected to be half that of normal, and drivers must be inspected daily before entering port. Furthermore, the epidemic expanded to the port city of Dalian when two persons from Tianjin were diagnosed with omicron illness.
Huyen Tu
Shanghai Port: Opens dispatching centre to prioritise empty containers
