Yantian Port Congestion Spreads Into Nearby Hubs

Heavy congestion at Yantian Port, a key export hub in Southern China, has shown little sign of abating and has even spilled over to neighbouring harbours.

The situation has continued to deteriorate, as more positive Covid cases have been confirmed in Shenzhen, where Yantian port and Shekou port are located.

Reports indicate that operations in the eastern area of the Yantian International Container Terminals are running at a productivity level of 30%, while the western area remains suspended.

Continued terminal congestion and vessel delays upwards of 14 days are expected in the coming week.

Vessels anchoring in the Wanshan Archipelago area are normally destined for terminals in Hong Kong, Shekou and Guangzhou’s Nansha. As carriers are forced to omit Yantian, these nearby ports are under stress due to the massive shift of cargo flows.

As part of the traffic control measures, Shekou said it will only allow gate-in of export laden containers three days before the vessel’s estimated time of arrival between June 6 and June 13.

At Nansha, the logistics logjam has led to seven-hour waiting time for empty container pick-up and laden container gate-in.

This situation is subject to change, and is being monitored closely.

Source: The Loadstar