Exports restart at Yantian port, but shipping lines skip it due to congestion

Yantain Port, China (Photo: Seatrade Maritime)

The past 48 hours have seen a flurry of schedules skipping the port of Yantian. Shipping line ONE announced that 12 of its ships will bypass the nearby Yantian port and Shekou port between May 30 and June 13, and two other routes to Nansha, in Guangzhou.

Shipping line Hapag-Lloyd said it was temporarily transferring two of its Far East service sailings to Nansha, while Maersk said it would skip nine sailings at Yantian and one at Shekou.

The yard density of Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) remains high, with disinfection and quarantine measures being continuously implemented by local authorities to prevent the spread of Covid- 19".

“Operation in the eastern part of the harbour, where the mother vessels are docked, continues with low productivity, about 30% of normal. We expect the harbor to continue to be congested and ship delayed by seven to eight days.”

And, despite the many ships not calling, there are still about 40 container ships in Yantian waiting to dock, and 20,000 containers backlogged, according to Chinese media.

Stefan Holmqvist, director of Norman Global Logistics Hong Kong, said shippers should be aware that "harbour congestion continues and delays will occur in the coming weeks".

And onshore, there is still severe traffic congestion around the port, with many container trucks delayed by up to 10 hours.

Although YICT is currently accepting export containers, spaces are only available for containers within three days of the vessel's expected arrival and only after the port has confirmed the advance reservations of the ships. Trucking companies for container border crossings are full, Maersk noted. The measures are intended to reduce traffic congestion and terminals, but forwarders have warned that the situation could also exacerbate a shortage of containers in South China.

Mr. Holmqvist said container availability was also affected by the delay, due to a decrease in the number of containers arriving at the port.

He added that "We advise our customers to book in advance to ensure availability, at this time, as long as three to five weeks in advance".

And one shipper based in China commented: “This will further complicate an already dire situation for container equipment and space on board, not to mention exorbitant shipping costs. Haven't seen anything better in a short time."

Source: Phaata.com (According to The Loadstar)

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