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Lines omit Yantian port calls over Covid-19 measures congestionLines omit Yantian port calls over Covid-19 measures congestion

Container lines are omitting calls at Yantian port in South China as tighter Covid-19 controls result in congestion.

Marcus Hand, Editor

June 3, 2021

1 Min Read
Yantian port from above
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Both the 2M Alliance of Maersk and MSC, and THE Alliance comprising Ocean Network Express (ONE), Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming and HMM ,are dropping calls at Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) due to the situation, while Maersk said it was also omitting one call at the nearby Shekou port.

The situation started last week with a number of Covid-19 cases in Shenzhen and at the port and lines said in customer advisories that yard density remained high at YICT. Maersk said that berth productivity was around 30% of normal levels.

“A number of Covid-19 cases had emerged at the port last week, and tightened health and safety measures have been rolled out by local authorities,” MSC said in an advisory on 2 June.

“The overall operation productivity at YICT has been adversely impacted, and we expect the current vessel berthing delays and port congestion situation will likely continue for at least a week.”

MSC said it was omitting a number of calls at Yantian. Alliance partner Maersk listed nine calls being omitted at YICT and one at neighbouring Shekou.

ONE said in an advisory on 2 June: “Due to the disruption in Shenzhen, we regret to inform you that several vessels will be omitting their usual calls at the terminals of Yantian or Shekou to minimize schedule disruption.”

Related:China's one-shot vaccine will be available at 11 ports for Chinese crew

ONE listed 12 omitted calls by vessels from THE Alliance at Yantian and two more which had changed to call another port.

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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