Pandemic port chaos

An outbreak of COVID-19 in Shenzen has had a major impact at Yantian Port, which saw a six-day stop on export containers. However, while the port is now reopening, a bounce back of services shouldn’t be expected, said Maersk on 17 June.

“After a six-day stop on export containers, the Yantian Port Authorities have announced that productivity is gradually set to increase as more workers return and more berths reopen,” said Maersk. “While this has a positive impact on gate activity, which is soon expected to reach the same levels as before the incident, schedule reliability will continue to suffer with an average waiting time of 16 days and counting.”

The Danish shipping company is cancelling and diverting some of its planned services, noting the disruption at Yantian is having a knock-on effect at other ports in China.

“The current average waiting time in Shekou, Nansha, and Hongkong is between 2-4 days, but as more carriers omit Yantian, this number is expected to rise. Deciding which port to divert to will always be made with the objective of minimising supply chain delays.”

Yantian yard density reduced to 69% while the yard density of Shekou and Nansha port remains high, said Maersk.

Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) confirmed yard utilisation had dropped in a customer advisory, according to The Loadstar.

“Current overall operational capacity has returned to 70% of normal levels, and container yard utilisation has dropped from 100% to 70%.”