Yantian Port operations suspended due to congestion and a Coronavirus outbreak – what is the impact on Asia exports?

Operations at the west part of Yantian port, including three container berths, have been suspended due to a coronavirus outbreak. What is the impact of this on Asia exports and what does it mean for your shipments?

Several Covid-19 cases were reported at Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT) this week, resulting in suspension of operations at three of the port’s 20 berths for disinfection. The remaining 17 berths are unaffected; however, the outbreak of the virus has meant that vessels with infected crew on board are requested to enter a 14-day quarantine, resulting in a significant drop in port labour.  

The chaos in the current market had already added additional strain to YITC, one of the busiest ports in China, with serious delays in vessel schedules, the container yard is in high utilisation rate, affecting the efficiency of terminal operations and causes traffic congestions around the port area.  

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Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) yard congestion remains high, with disinfection and quarantine measures being continuously implemented by local authorities.

Yantian International Container Terminal updates:

Operations in the eastern area of the terminal continues to experience the low productivity which is about 30% of its normal level. All operations in the western area of Yantian International Container Terminal have been suspended until further notice.

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As of 31st of May, export laden container gate-in has resumed. From May 31st to June 6th, CY-open will be available only 3 days prior to vessel ETA, AND only after the terminal confirms the advance reservation made by trucking companies for laden container gate-in. Import laden container pick-up, which is mainly concentrated in the eastern area of the port, maintains normal operations.

How does it impact your shipments?

We’re keeping a close eye on the ports and will provide updates where necessary.  

Our Head of Operations, Martin Carter, says ‘the Yantian port is just a blip. We’re not seeing it as a huge inconvenience and whilst it’s smart to be aware of it, there no major cause for concern just yet.’  

We are predicting delays to all vessels departing Yantian in the next two weeks, with significant risk of further disruption should the current Covid-19 outbreak worsen. At the moment, no other ports are affected, and the impact is contained to vessels operating in and around Yantian.

If you do have any queries about this matter, get in touch with our teams now.