Corona causes ship congestion in China

The delta variant of the coronavirus has now also arrived in China. And is causing problems for sea freight. Due to a covid outbreak, Chinese authorities have partially closed two ports. Further delays in international freight traffic are the consequences.

Terminal in Ningbo closed

Backlogs are increasing in the container ports of Shanghai and Ningbo Shoushan. On 11.08. a terminal in the port of Ningbo Shoushan had been closed due to a Corona outbreak with the Delta variant. As a result, more and more ships are jammed, especially in Ningbo. On 12.08. there were already 40 container ships in Ningbo that were not unloaded or loaded.

No delays at C2G Production so far

The highly contagious delta variant has already been detected in a good dozen Chinese cities in August. This is also the case in Ningbo, whose container port is the second largest in the country. Concern is growing that more backlogs could occur.

Our office is located in Ningbo is near the port. There is no immediate danger, but caution is advised.

So far, our deliveries have not been affected by the latest delay. We hope it will stay that way, but we can’t guarantee it.

Respond flexibly to avoid delays

This is all the more so because other terminals in Ningbo, from where we usually ship our goods, are also operating on a limited basis. Some ships are therefore already being diverted to Shanghai. But ships are also lining up in Shanghai. There, the traffic jam is now worse than at any time in recent years.

The freight situation remains tense and is further exacerbated by the Corona outbreaks and closures. We will monitor the situation, reassess it from day to day and react flexibly to avoid delays as much as possible.

Urs Draeger, C2G Production, urs.draeger@c2g-production.de, 0176 641 271 88.