Shenzhen Airport in China reported new cases of Covid-19 among its employees and more than 300 flights carrying goods to other countries had to be canceled this week. According to information from the company Port Trader, the outbreak of the disease in the region has also caused delays in port deliveries. Ships are reportedly operating with an eight-day delay and causing traffic jams.
“We have information that approximately 300 containers are stuck in the ports of Shenzhen and Yantian awaiting release from local authorities”, explains Cleber Baldotto, operational manager at Port Trader.
The delay in product delivery for months has been causing concern in the world market, due to increased inflationary pressures. Three weeks ago, a report from the Canal Solar showed that rates for transporting commodities on ships that supply industries around the world are sky-high.
Read also Sea freight prices will increase again in June
From January to May this year, the price of sea freight rose by more than 30% and the market expectation is that the increase will continue. “The normalization of operations at the port of Shenzhen is only expected for next month. Meanwhile, congestion and delays will continue”, highlighted Baldotto.
Fire
A fire hit the Port of Shanghai, in China, on Thursday night (18), and forced the port areas there to suspend their operations. The accident ended up causing one of the largest container ports in the world to be closed so that local authorities could combat the flames.
The fire was contained within a few hours and there were no reports of injuries. The cause is still under investigation. “As this fire has already been controlled, it is not causing any impacts to the market,” Baldotto highlighted.
