Prime Freight’s summary of an April 2022 report by The Loadstar. Read the original for the full story.
In April 2022 Guangzhou began citywide Covid testing, raising concern that restrictions would spread to South China’s export ports while Shanghai was locked down.
Testing began on a Saturday evening, together with limits on who could enter or leave the city. A contact at Nansha said its container terminals were working normally, but truck drivers needed a negative PCR test from the previous 48 hours, which was causing problems across the Pearl River Delta.
Fibs Logistics told The Loadstar that mother-vessel schedules at Guangzhou were often five to seven days late because of irregular feeder and barge services, and that the Shanghai lockdown was also delaying arrivals at Hong Kong and Yantian. Cross-border trucking between Hong Kong and Shenzhen was the biggest challenge, with costs rising sharply, so the company was using more feeders. With less cargo leaving Shanghai, more space was available from South China and carriers were offering lower spot rates there. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China urged the government to rethink mass testing and isolation, citing severe disruption to logistics.
What it meant for shippers
Testing rules for drivers can slow cargo even when terminals are open. Allowing extra time for pickups and feeder connections, and checking whether lower spot rates came with longer transits, were sensible precautions.