The High Port Pressure in the
Asian Countries Due to the
Extended Lockdowns and COVID
Protocols
The port operations in the Asian countries are heavily impacted
because of the growing concerns around the COVID-19,
consecutive lockdowns, and poor weather conditions. This has
further led to the shortage of employees as well as unexpected
delays in the shipment. The safety protocols, especially after the
COVID outbreak, have caused congestion at Chinese ports. The
government has made it mandatory for the entire crew to get
tests before they board the ship.
Similarly, each truck driver entering the port is supposed to be
tested negative before they are allowed entry. These COVID
protocols have become a major cause of the delayed port
operations in Asia. This industry has faced one of the biggest
turmoils over the past few months (18 to be precise) and the
news of further lockdown implementation has made it worse for
the employees in this industry. The fact that factories are all set
to resume the operations and manufacturing firms will also
reopen in a few weeks, there is a greater possibility of equipment
shortages.
This growing port pressure is not only confined to Asia but it’s
also reported in the United States. There were about 30 ships in
California lined up at the anchor a few days ago. As a result,
there was a major delay in the delivery. It is not only the delays
in the ports but the rail congestion combined with the delays in
truck delivery have made things worse for the countries. Here is
an overview of the current port pressure in Asian countries.
China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong
There is no denying that ports in China have faced immense
pressure due to the lockdowns, COVID protocols, and
emergency deliveries. The ports in Shanghai WGQ were open
and operating, but there was major congestion reported due to
over 20 ships queued at anchor. The 4-5 days of delays in the
delivery is expected considering the current situation. A similar
condition is reported in the Shanghai YS, where the port remains
operational, but almost all terminals are crowded and 17 ships
queued at anchor.
The Ningbo Port: The Ningbo port has around a fourth of the
Chinese cargo supplied. The third busiest port was not operating
until now as one of the workers tested positive there. The
operations at the terminal where the person was tested positive
for COVID are now suspended. The traffic and cargo from this
terminal are directed to another one, and the rest of the port
remains operational. A 1-2 days delay is expected from these
terminals.
In Shikou and Hong Kong, a high yard use density of around
90% has been reported. Most Chinese ports are expected to
face a few days delay in the delivery because of the rising
concerns of COVID and the extended lockdowns.
Korea and Japan
Japan and Korea are a few Asian countries where port
operations are pretty normal. However, the vessels being stuck
at the Chinese ports have made the situation a little difficult to
handle, as there is no certain arrival time for the shipments. 1-2
days of delays are reported in the shipments because of the
congestion at the ports. Currently, there is an additional t/s
collected in Pusan, which has worsened the congestion.
Southeast Asia
The operations are normal in the Philippines, but heavy
congestion is reported in Manila due to the weather conditions
and extreme safety protocols. The operations are normal in
Thailand, however, the same in Singapore isn’t going well. The
country has reported lower port productivity. 1-2 days of delay is
expected with the ships associated with net discharge expected
to have 3-4 day delays in the shipment. Here’s what else the port
in Singapore is experiencing over the past few weeks:
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An extremely high density caused low productivity
Bunching arrival of the ships
High inventory use
Delays at the ports due to safety protocols
Normal port operations but low activity is reported in Port Klang.
Delays are also expected in the WP because of the bunching
vessels combined with low productivity. The yard use rate is
pretty high, going beyond 95 percent.
Vietnam
There were over 100,000 TEU accumulated at the Cat Lai Port
because of the extended lockdowns and growing number of
COVID patients. The low productivity has caused a major
disturbance in the port operations with a large number of vessels
being stuck at the port. The poor vessel management at the Cat
Lai Port left the crew with no other option than to ask shippers to
pick the products. Plus, they had to offer free shipment to the
surrounding depots because of these delays and the high
utilization rate.
Source:
https://vslworldwide.com/blog/the-high-portpressure-in-the-asian-countries-due-to-the-extendedlockdowns-and-covid-protocols