Shippers hoping to turn to air freight from China to beat container shipping disruption are in for bad news as Shanghai’s Pudong Airport is hit by Covid cases.

Due to concerns over the continued increase in the number of Covid-19 infections, the city of Imabari and the Imabari Maritime City Promotion Commitee have requested that Imabari Maritime Fair should not be held as scheduled in October.

As China battles Covid outbreaks in major manufacturing hubs growing delays across major trade lanes that connect the country to the global economy threaten the supply chain.

Shipping Australia Ltd (SAL) has hit out at plan by Western Australia to turn away ships with Covid case onboard as immoral and danger to safety and the environment.

Western Australia (WA) is looking at implementing even stricter controls on vessels entering its waters following recent Covid-19 cases on ships arriving from Indonesia.

India’s huge second wave of Covid-19 infections has hit the international shipping industry, which relies on the country for seafarers, as crews come down with the disease and ports deny entry to vessels.

The remains of the Captain of Ital Libra, who died of Covid, have finally been repatriated after ports in Asia refused to accept the containership into port.

Shipyards the Chinese repair centre of Zhoushand are losing hundreds of ships repair jobs due strict to Covid-19 restrictions on international vessel arrivals.

Evergreen containership Ital Libera, whose Master died of Covid, is diverting to Europe as no ports in Asia will accept the vessel.

Maersk is warning of delays of 14 days upwards at Yantian port due to heightened Covid restrictions, and lines are omitting and diverting more calls in South China.