The new wave of coronavirus in China and the tightening of quarantine measures by the authorities have led to disruptions in the operation of major ports in Guangdong province.
The Yantian terminal in the port of Shenzhen (the third largest container port in the world) has been suspended by 70 percent. In the last week of May, the terminal was completely closed. They began to transfer cargo to the terminals of Nansha, Shekou and Hong Kong, but this only led to the fact that they also stalled. Since their capacities are not designed for the increased flow of goods, senders need to take into account that containers are accepted for loading in a limited manner and within a limited time frame.
Russian experts dealing with shipments in the Chinese direction warn that the capacities of all ports in southern China have been severely limited. They began to delay the processing of goods by about a week, which immediately led to an increase in the cost of transportation. And the delivery of goods from Russia to China and back became more than 2 weeks longer.
Experts emphasize that the disruptions in world trade have arisen so severe that the damage from them could be greater than in the Suez Canal, when it was blocked by the ship Ever Given this spring. Then the blockage was eliminated in 6 days. In Yantian, shipments have been delayed for more than two weeks, and there is no end in sight. In their opinion, when the work of the ports is restored, the situation will return to normal for at least a month. At the same time, an increase in tariffs for transportation in this region is most likely inevitable.