Havnen i Ningbo har stort sett kommet seg etter sin siste Covid-avbrudd, men risikoen for fraktforsinkelser fra Kina har allerede spredt seg til Tianjin og Shenzhen.
Maersk said trucking had recovered to 75 percent of normal capacity, with some services remaining suspended in Covid-hit areas and "operational efficiency negatively impacted by the requirement of nucleic acid testing".
Shippers hoping to get their goods out of China before the Chinese New Year holiday have little time to breathe a sigh of relief, however, because Tianjin has become the latest port city to feel the brunt of China's "dynamic" zero-Covid policy.
Byen med 14 millioner mennesker gjennomgår massetesting, noe som forstyrrer driften ved havnen, den største i Nord-Kina, med over 20 millioner teu i årlig gjennomstrømning.
CH Robinson fortalte i går kundene å forvente forsinkelser i hav- og luftfrakt til testingen var fullført.
"Pick-up operations for all import containers have been suspended immediately," the forwarder noted. "The shortage of staff at Tianjin Airport and ocean port terminals is likely to cause delay for cargo delivery and is expected to last at least 48 hours.
"Beijing airport is operating normally, but truck deliveries from Tanjin to Beijing are restricted," the forwarder added.
Mass Covid testing is also taking place in South China, after a "cluster" of four cases was detected in Shenzhen, raising alarm bells for shippers hit by last year's disastrous closure at Yantian.
Health officials claimed, without providing evidence, it was "highly likely" one infection was due to a supply chain worker being exposed to "contaminated goods", according to the South China Morning Post.
The Loadstar understands operations at the port are so far unaffected but, like Ningbo and Tianjin, there's a risk of delays due to testing workers and restrictions on trucking, forwarders said.
I mellomtiden, med CNY og vinter-OL i Beijing som starter henholdsvis 1. og 4. februar, forventer speditører ingen svikt i potensielle lastforstyrrelser, gitt de nåværende høye nivåene av overbelastning av havnene i landet.
For example, Fibs Logistics described congestion at Shanghai as "massive" and noted: "Vessels are delayed by about one week. Due to Covid-19 in Beilun district in Ningbo, some shipments are transferred to Shanghai, which resulted in further terminal congestion."
The firm said China's key gateway ports were generally suffering from a lack of space and equipment and, with the pre-CNY peak pushing up rates, "premiums are needed to secure space".
Fibs added: "This serious port congestion is resulting in delayed voyages, continuous accumulation of delays and multiple suspensions. Forwarders and cargo owners will inevitably face further difficulties in the coming months."
