Dalian Port restricts imports of cold goods due to Covid-19 outbreak

Dalian Port (Dalian), China (Photo: Lloyd's list)

Hapag-Lloyd shipping line is advising customers to divert imported refrigerated goods to other ports or return refrigerated containers back to the port of export due to restrictions related to frozen meat and seafood products imported into Dalian port.

The restrictions follow the outbreak of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in Dalian, which appeared in the media a week ago. Chinese authorities have pointed to the cold supply chain as the source of the outbreak, with the first case reported at a cold storage facility.

Dalian is the import city with the largest cold chain in China. Nearly 70% of cold chain goods are imported through Dalian port, with more than 600,000 employees handling imported cold chain products.

Hapag-Lloyd advises customers to divert imported refrigerated shipments from Dalian to Qingdao, Tianjin or other Chinese ports, or return containers to the port of export. Without instructions from the customer, Hapag-Lloyd will make what is deemed necessary.

“Please note that for all options, all additional costs, risks and liabilities related to the storage or movement of the cargo after discharge will be for the account of the cargo owner,” Hapag-Lloyd said.

China continues to adopt a "zero Covid" strategy, and Dalian residents have faced city-wide travel and testing restrictions after the outbreak. The cold supply chain is an area that Chinese authorities see as a high risk of infection.

The Covid outbreak in Chinese ports is a major concern for the shipping industry, especially the container sector, which was hit hard by the closure of about 70% of Yantian port for three weeks earlier this year. In August, Ningbo-Zhoushan's Ningbo Meishan Island International Container Terminal (MSICT) was closed due to a single Covid case in the port's workforce. However, the rest of Ningbo port continues to operate and the impact on global shipping in this port is not as great as the closure at Yantian port.

See more:

• Ningbo Meishan terminal re-opens after two-weeks shutdown
• Ningbo Meishan terminal closed, container ships diverted to surrounding areas
• Yantian Port is back to normal, but container backlog will take weeks to clear
• Exports restart at Yantian port, but shipping lines skip it due to congestion

Source: Phaata.com (According to SeatradeMaritime)

Phaata.com - Vietnam's First Global Logistics Marketplace

► Connect Shippers & Logistics companies faster