Meishan terminal at the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in eastern China is back up and running, reports MarketResearch.
Reopening of a key terminal
The authorities of the Chinese port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, the third largest in the world by cargo volume, announced today the reopening of a key terminal in which operations were suspended two weeks ago for a case of covid-19, reports state television CCTV.
After obtaining negative results in the last round of coronavirus tests carried out at the terminal, the port authority decided to “completely lift” the measures applied after the discovery of the aforementioned case and “resume operations.”
Terminal closure
The Meidong container terminal – through which about 25% of the cargo from that port passes, according to the consultancy GardaWorld – was closed on August 11 after a 34-year-old worker tested positive for asymptomatic covid.
Although at first the experts cited by the official press predicted that the terminal would be closed for about a month, these terms have finally been shortened.
Freight diversions
Part of the freighters heading to Ningbo-Zhoushan, located in the eastern province of Zhejiang, were diverted to other terminals or directly to other ports, exacerbating the logistical problems of the transportation hub, which was already accumulating a large volume of freighters. and oil tankers because typhoons had forced the docks to close at the end of July.
Terminal closure and logistical jams
According to the World Shipping Council industry association, Ningbo-Zhoushan was in 2020 the third largest port in the world by cargo volume, with 28.72 million TEU (unit equivalent to a twenty-foot container), which also ranks it as the second largest in China after Shanghai (east).
The closure of Meidong was not the first time that COVID infections caused logistical jams in Chinese ports, a situation that had already occurred at the end of June in another of the most important maritime centers in the country, Yantian (southeast) .
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: MarketResearch
