World's Third-Busiest Port Remains Shut For The Sixth Day

Operations in Ningbo Meishan Port Terminal – the third busiest port globally, remains partially halted for the sixth consecutive day after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

As per AIS data from VesselsValue, around 50 container vessels anchor near Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. It is amid escalating concerns over the port shutdown bring a trade disruption from the area.

Since last Wednesday, the Port’s authority hadn’t published any update when it ceased all its inbound and outbound container services.

Authorities of Ningbo Meishan port stated that it would reroute all the vessels to other terminals and also schedule appropriate operating hours at the rest of the docks. There haven’t been any reports of new COVID cases at the port since the initial one.

In a notice issued on Saturday, Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. reminded the customers to check terminals before arranging their containers to transport to Ningbo. Project44 said, ‘Ocean vessels are all diverting and initiating blank sailings. Project44 recorded a total of 37 blank sailings until August 13.’

China adopts a strict zero-tolerance policy to Covid-19 and is also taking stringent actions to quash COVID cases. It is more prevalent across strategic locations like ports.

In late May, an outbreak of COVID among port staff led to the closure of Shenzhen’s Yantian port for around a month. In addition, the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant outbreak has ignited fears that ports around the world could face similar outbreaks. It would subsequently disrupt trade and impact global shipping.

Reference: indiatimes.com