After the Suez Canal blockage in March (we talked about in this article), the maritime traffic suffers another unexpected disruption: dozens of ships from all over the world have been blocked for several weeks at the port of Yantian, in southern China.
Some coronavirus cases have been reported in Shenzhen, where the important ports of Yantian and Shekou are located, and in Guangzhou, including the port of Nansha. Congestion at container shipping ports in southern China is worsening as authorities step up disinfection measures. Many boats have already been diverted to other accessible ports, causing significant delays in deliveries. This situation seems to be more serious than the blockade of the Suez Canal caused by the stranding of the ship Ever Given. Due to this Chinese crisis, about 357,000 TEUs remained blocked in 14 days. Consequently, the global maritime freight transport system is affected by delays in deliveries and growth of prices, in a context where the supply and demand imbalances persists.
