Nearly 40 container ships are waiting, 100 routes are affected, and it will take at least a week for Yantian Port to be lifted
Jim
Sunny Worldwide Logitiscs
2021-06-03 15:45:41
Shenzhen Yantian Port resumed its export business on Monday, but only accepts ETA-3 days (that is, three days before the expected arrival date of the ship) for export heavy containers, and an appointment is required to declare in advance. It is open to receive approximately 5000 containers every day. The implementation time is from May 31st to June 6th. At present, there are still about 40 container ships waiting for berths in Yantian Port, and there is a backlog of 20,000 containers. Although there are ships canceling calls, the slow operating efficiency means that there will be at least another week of delay. According to the "Securities Times" report, nearly 90% of Shenzhen's exports to the United States and Europe originate from Yantian, and about 100 air routes are affected. This will also have a knock-on effect on exports from Europe and North America.
The report stated that the density of the YICT container yard is still high, and local authorities are continuously implementing disinfection and quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Production and operation efficiency is low, about 30% of the normal level. It is expected that the terminal will continue to be congested and ship delays will last for 7 to 8 days. Stefan Holmqvist, managing director of Norman Global Logistics Hong Kong, said that cargo owners should “be prepared for continued congestion and ship berthing delays in the coming weeks”.
He said that the traffic around the shore port is still very busy, and the container pickup has been delayed for up to 10 hours. Holmqvist said that due to the reduction in the number of boxes entering the port, the availability of containers has also been affected by delays. "We recommend that our customers book in advance to secure the space. Currently, it can be up to three to five weeks in advance," he added. The hopping of ships also caused a large amount of South China cargo to flock to the surrounding Shekou Port and Guangzhou Nansha Port. According to feedback, Guangzhou Nansha Port was captured by the surging cargo, and there was an unprecedented long queue:
At present, a large number of ships have announced that they will jump into the port. ONE announced that its 12 ships will skip the Yantian and nearby Shekou docks between May 30 and June 13, and two more ships will be transferred to Nansha, Guangzhou. Hapag-Lloyd said it will temporarily divert its two Far East Loop routes to Nansha, while Maersk said it will cancel 9 stops in Yantian and 1 stop in Shekou. Maersk pointed out that although the Yantian International Terminal now accepts heavy export containers, it will only provide container space within three days of the estimated arrival time of the ship and only after the terminal confirms the advance booking by the trucking company for the arrival of full containers. These measures are designed to reduce traffic and yard congestion, but freight forwarders warn that this may also exacerbate the shortage of containers in South China. Some cargo owners commented: “This will make the already bad condition of containers and ship spaces worse, not to mention the ridiculously high shipping prices. All of this will not get better in the short term.” At present, many shipping companies have issued notices of port jump (the following official website notices can be sent directly to buyers):
COSCO SHIPPING—— On June 1, COSCO SHIPPING Lines issued an announcement stating that in view of the operational adjustments of Yantian Port and Shekou Port that may cause cargo delays, in response to this change, COSCO SHIPPING Lines has also made corresponding adjustments. Some of its ships will no longer call at Yantian Port and Shekou Port. The specific routes and ships involved are as follows:
Hapag-Lloyd changed the port of call—— Hapag-Lloyd will temporarily change the call at Yantian Port on the Far East-Northern Europe Loop FE2/3 to Nansha Container Terminal. The voyages are as follows: Far East Loop 2 (FE2): voy 015W AL ZUBARA, voy 013W MOL TREASURE Far East Loop 3 (FE3): voy 001W HMM RAON
Maersk’s port jump notice—— Maersk believes that the terminal will continue to be congested in the next week, and ships will be delayed for 7-8 days. In order to restore the reliability of the shipping schedule, several Maersk ships will have to hop to Yantian Port. In view of the fact that the truck service at Yantian Port is also affected by terminal congestion, Maersk estimates that the empty container pickup time will be delayed by at least 8 hours.
MSC changes the port of call—— In order to avoid further delays in sailing schedules, MSC has made the following adjustments on the following routes/voyages: change the port of call Route name: LION Vessel name and voyage: MSC AMSTERDAM FL115E Change content: cancel call port YANTIAN Route name: ALBATROSS Vessel Name Voyage: MILAN MAERSK 120W Change content: cancel call port YANTIAN
Notice of suspension and adjustment of ONE export and inbound operations Ocean Network Express (ONE) recently announced that with the increasing density of Shenzhen Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) yards, the port's congestion is increasing. The suspension and adjustment of its export and entry operations are as follows:
Yantian Port handles nearly 90% of Shenzhen’s exports to the United States and Europe, and 100 routes may be affected by the suspension. More delays are likely to occur on European exports to North America, the trans-Pacific and the Far East-Northern Europe trade route. Shipping analyst Lars Jensen said that global shippers, not just Chinese shippers, should pay attention to this congestion. A large-scale outbreak of the epidemic at any container port in China may set the current port congestion and container shortage issues to be resolved. Postponed to next year.
