EN 
PT_BR 
Restrictions in supply chains and the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in Chinese ports continue to disrupt maritime transport and cause new shocks to the world economy. According to information from the Port Trade Group, freight costs are breaking records and forcing importers to cancel part of their orders.
At ports in the north and northeast regions of China, the price of containers to Brazil already exceeds the barrier of US$ 16 thousand. This is a number almost three times higher than in the same period last year, when the average charge was around US$ 6 thousand.
Cleber Baldotto, the company's operational manager, explains that the outbreak of the disease in the Asian country continues to generate temporary closures of maritime terminals due to the harsh measures to control the pandemic. The action, according to him, has caused congestion at international ports and delayed the delivery of goods.
“What is causing freight to increase is congestion and the lack of ships in Chinese ports. In Ningbo, for example, there was an outbreak of Covid-19 less than a month ago and this problem persists, causing the number of containers to decrease and freight prices to increase”, he explains.
Rising prices and delays in the delivery of goods have worried companies around the world, who are already warning of disruptions as they prepare for the crucial end-of-year period. “Due to Christmas and New Year, companies are trying to bring forward deliveries. In China, there is a traditional holiday in October and after that, there are usually delays”, commented Baldotto.
Impact of shipping on the pandemic
After managing to control the first wave of the pandemic, China began to register several outbreaks of the Delta variant in the last two months. In August, the local government shut down Ningbo port for two weeks, which occupies third place in the global ranking of container handling, after finding that a single worker at the site was infected.
This year, Shenzhen's ports were also closed after some coronavirus cases were discovered. This Tuesday (14), the city of Putian ordered Covid-19 tests on 3.2 million people and closed schools, after confirming more than 100 cases of the variant in the municipality.
