Yantian port to resume full operations on 24 June

The key South China port announced it would resume full operation from 24 June with effective controls of Covid-19 in place in the port areas.

All berths, including the west port area, which was closed for a three-week period from 21 May – 10 June, will essentially resume normal operations.

The number of laden gate-in tractors will be increased to 9,000 per day, and the pick-up of empty of containers and import laden containers remain normal. The arrangements of accepting export laden containers will resume normal within seven days of the vessel’s ETA.

Since from the Covid-19 outbreak at Yantian port area on 21 May, the daily operations of the port capacity had declined to 30% of the normal levels.

These measures had a huge impact on global container shipping with hundreds of services omitting or diverting calls at the port, in a business disruption described by Maersk as being much bigger than the closure of the Suez Canal by the Ever Given grounding earlier this year.

Delays for berthing at Yantian continue to be reported as 16 days or longer, and congestion is growing at the nearby ports of Shekou, Hong Kong, and Nansha, which Maersk reported as being two – four days on 21 June. Even with Yantian resuming full operations congestion and impact on container shipping schedules will take weeks to clear.

Yantian port will continue to implement strict epidemic prevention and control, and promote production accordingly.

Daily handling capacity of Yantian could reach 27,000 teu containers with all 11 berths returned to normal operation.

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