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We would like to share with you regarding the cargo/container trucker strike status, its impact on the industry and ports as well as our solutions to support you during this challenging time.
1. Current Situation
More than 25,000 truckers have been on strike for more than a week and negotiations with the government did not improve.
Unfortunately, the situation is getting worse and it is expected that it would be protracted. All terminals, depot and major logistic hubs in main cities are expected to be blocked.
2. Impact in Korea
Industry
- Auto / Steel / Petrochemicals manufacturing plants are significantly influenced by the strike
- Batteries / Semiconductors industries are not disrupted, but a reassessment will be needed if the strike continues
- Retail / Fashion industries have seen a low impact at the moment
Ocean services and containers delivery/pickup
- Container traffic has been cut by over 90%
- Port operations run as low as 30% in Pusan, 20% in Incheon & 0% in Ulsan port
- Container delivery from/to main port is not possible now
- LCL
- Delay of the shuttle between the terminal and the warehouse (CFS)
- Difficulty to reach the warehouse (CFS) for both ‘pick up’ and ‘delivery’
- Demurrage and detention will still be charged by the port and shipping lines
- No delay or blank sailing of vessel schedules out of Korea yet
3. Solutions
We understand that your supply chain, manufacturing, and sales might be affected by the strike. We know that you trust us to deliver a reliable, fast and secure service. we have adapted our air products of AirFast solution with block space agreement, especially to, but not limited to, Europe & US (https://geodis.com/activity/air-and-ocean-freight/air-freight-solutions).
If you need a storage space for buffer stock we would be glad to support you at our multi-user facility located in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do (https://geodis.com/newsroom/press-releases/geodis-invests-new-multi-user-facility-icheon-south-korea).
We are here with you, and we thank you for your support. We are closely monitoring the situation on the strike to continue to serve you and provide regular updates.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative or reach us at [email protected]
More than 25,000 truckers have been on strike for more than a week and negotiations with the government went unsuccessful and becoming more critical. It is expected that it would be prolonged. All terminals, depots and major logistic hubs in main cities are expected to be blocked.
Ocean services and containers delivery/pickup
- Container traffic has been cut down over 90%
- Port operations run as low as 30% in Pusan, 20% in Incheon and completely at halt in Ulsan port
- Container delivery from/to main port is not possible now
- LCL
- Delay of the shuttle between the terminal and the warehouse (CFS)
- Difficulty to reach the warehouse (CFS) for both ‘pick up’ and ‘delivery’
- Demurrage and detention will still be charged by the port and shipping lines
- No delay or blank sailing of vessel scheduled out of Korea
We are closely monitoring the situation on the strike to continue to serve you and provide regular updates.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS representative or reach our local team in South Korea at [email protected]
COVID situation from China
Beijing:
A new COVID-19 prevention & control policy has been issued by Shunyi District (where Beijing capital airport is located). Remote work is a temporary alternative, and only 50% of working labour is allowed in the office. The consequence for airfreight import handling is:
Slow import handling at cargo terminals due to a lack of manpower
Longer time to breakbulk by carriers’ agency. It is expected that it will take 3-4 days for the breakbulk process, the same as the situation at the beginning of this year.
Additionally, GEODIS employees in the Beijing office will work from home from 21st Nov until further notice, as the office building does not permit tenants to work there.
Chongqing:
No further updates from the Chongqing city. All GEODIS employees in the Chongqing branch continue to work from home.
Operations in CKG airport and barge port are normal, longer operating times are expected due to a lack of manpower and shutdown of the city road.
Most of the factories remain shut and bookings are postponed to a later departure. No other impact so far.
Wuhan:
The district where GEODIS Wuhan office is located has announced temporary shutdown from 21st to 23rd Nov. GEODIS employees in Wuhan branch are working from home during this period.
Operations in Wuhan airport and barge port are normal, no impact for now.
Zhengzhou:
Due to local Covid prevention and control over residents' flow in office buildings and public places, GEODIS staff in Zhengzhou will continue to work from home.
Operations in Zhengzhou office, local facilities, terminal warehouse, trucking and airport operations remain normal.
Chengdu:
Sichuan province is recently affected by Covid-19, where Chengdu city is located. Operations in GEODIS Chengdu office, local facilities, terminal warehouse, trucking and airport operations remain stable.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide development status when available.
COVID-19 Updates of Guangzhou, China
To comply with the COVID-19 measures issued by the Chinese local authorities; GEODIS office in Guangzhou will be temporarily closed.
Our office communication will remain intact, however, ground operations in the impacted area may experience delays and reduced efficiency.
Please reach out to your GEODIS representative for specific issues or additional information.
COVID-19 Updates of Zhengzhou, China
Following the Zhengzhou Government's introduction of a new round of measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, delays and reduced efficiency in freight operations are being experienced. However, the local transportation systems, local facilities, terminal warehouses, trucking operations and airport including GEODIS Zhengzhou office are operating.
Please reach out to your GEODIS representative for specific issues or additional information.
COVID-19 Updates of Ningbo, China
41 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in Beilun from 13th to 16th October 2022. The government of Ningbo has decided to implement temporary measures for the whole Beilun district. Major impacts to our operations are as follows:
- All the Container Freight Station (CFS) facilities’ operations within Beilun district are suspended starting from 16th October until further notice.
- Due to the local epidemic preventive measures for trucks - truck drivers “health code” white-list system has been set up. The trucks must enter through the dedicated high-speed entrance to each container terminal - resulting in a lower number of trucks and truck drivers as well as delays.
- Ocean freight services may be experiencing delays.
To assist our customers, GEODIS teams have been working on:
- LCL shipments: to switch to Shanghai port as an alternative solution.
- We are helping some of our customers to inform vendors to deliver cargo to CFS in Shanghai.
- For cargos that are already in CFS, the operation can be continued once the warehouse reopens.
- For FCL shipments: to switch to Shanghai port as an alternative solution.
- Other alternative solutions to minimize the impact caused by the trucking/road restrictions include feeder service from Jiaxing/ Wenzhou/ Taizhou area and rail services from Shaoxing/ Yiwu/ Jinhua area to Ningbo port terminal.
Please reach out to your GEODIS representative for specific issues or additional information.
CFS in Ningbo and Shanghai ports has resumed operation in the morning and afternoon of 15th September 2022 respectively. The typhoon headed Northwards and affected operations in the Northern region. Qingdao port and its CFS operation have been suspended as of 2:00 PM on 14th September 2022 until further notice from the port authority. Dalian port and its CFS operation were operating as usual during the day on 15th September but closed in the evening as a precautionary measure given that the region lies in the forecasted path of the typhoon.
China: situation update in Chengdu
- The local government has requested the residents not to leave the city and to isolate themselves at home between 2nd- 7th September.
- GEODIS’ downtown office in Chengdu will remain closed during this period, as requested by the local authority.
- Transportation systems, airports & the international flights, local customs, and terminal warehouses are operating as normal. As for road transport in or out of Chengdu city, please contact GEODIS representatives for the latest information.
South Korea: landfall of Typhoon Hinnamnor
The operations at major ports in South Korea have been affected following the Typhoon Hinnamor. Below are the latest supply chain impacts:
Ocean Freight: operations at Busan & Ulsan are mostly impacted
- All ocean terminals in Gwangyang, Pyungtaek, Incheon & Masan have re-opened on 6th September. However, container services at terminals will resume late afternoon of the same day.
- The port in Busan is expected to re-open after 6pm on 6th September – which is subjected to the decision of the port authorities. Services for empty container pickup and laden containers gate-in or pickup will be suspended until further notice.
- Ulsan port is expected to re-open by the night of 6th September. Terminals’ container services will not be available from 7th to 8th September.
- Please be aware that the customers may expect any potential demurrage & detention charges from this incident.
Airfreight: departures & arrivals are back to normal
- Some international flights were delayed until the morning of 6th September, yet most airlines have started operating since 11am on the same day.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
German ports, mainly Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven are braced for a third strike within a few weeks as a dispute over wage increases continues to threaten to paralyse container and cargo operations in the North Sea ports.
With this warning strike, it is expected that these ports' container terminals will stop working for 48 hours, starting on July 14, 2022, at 7:00 a.m. until July 16, 2022, at 7:00 a.m. local time.
We would like to bring to your attention a few possible scenarios should the strike proceed as predicted:
- The ocean freight operational processes will be strongly affected
- Trucking services might only be possible to a very limited extent, depending on the situation tomorrow
- There might be an impact on the traffic situation around the port that could delay cargo flows at the ports
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
The strike by truckers that paralysed movement of containers to and from the ports of Chennai, Kamarajar and Katupalli for the last several days, has been called off. It was estimated that the strike left around 8,000 import boxes stranded at these ports, according to official news sources. As a result, the cargo movements at these ports are slowly getting back to normal.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
Transport workers at ports in Chennai, India, on indefinite strike as of July 7, affecting movement of containers in and out of the ports of Chennai. Movement of any trailers in and out of port has been halted and all transport activities at the port has come to standstill. Nevertheless, vessels are still calling all 3 ports in Chennai and containers are still being discharged. For the containers are not able to be quickly transported from ports, they will be piled up at the terminal leading to congestion and further shortage of equipment.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Following a fire and a large explosion at a storage depot near the city of Chittagong on 4 June, all the planned operations of BM depot has been distributed to other 18 CFSs causing an increase pressure on volume and cargo disruptions as no export processing in Bangladesh can be performed and no alternatives to using the Inland container depots now. Customers may expect heavy delays during Bangladesh’s Muslim Festival this month (July 9th - July 11th).
Currently, there are huge shortages of export equipment, which results in a lack of warehouse space, as export cargoes are lying idle and there is no available space to unload incoming cargo, which is coupled with a massive cargo flow that creates a huge backlog of cargo laden vehicles, which has been spilled over to the national highway, causing 3-4 days delays in truck turnaround time.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
South Korean Truckers ended the eight-day strike on 15 June 2022 after reaching the agreement with the government on the extension on minimum wage system, putting a stop to a nationwide strike that undermined the operation of ports and industrial hubs.
Ocean services and containers delivery/pickup
- Inbound and outbound cargo at Busan port is cut by half its usual volume.
- Although road transport is returning to normal, the backlog of containers at ports will take longer to clear.
- The retention for containers at Busan port skyrocketed to 11-14 days on 14th June, up from last week’s median waiting time of about 3-4 days.
- The daily volume of containers transported to/from the country’s 12 ports dropped 53% compared with the average volume in May 2022.
- Demurrage and detention will still be charged by the port and shipping lines.
- No delay or blank sailing of vessel schedules announced by shipping liners.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
About 6,600 truckers have been on strike for the past 7 days over minimum wage guarantee & legislation. It has heavily impacted container pickup and delivery. The local government estimated the loss of US$ 1.2 billion linked to this incident.
The fourth negotiation between the union and government failed to reach an agreement. It is anticipated that it would take a few more days or weeks until the situation is resolved.
Ocean and Containers Delivery/Pick-up
- Container traffic has been cut down by 2/3 overall
- Port operation is reduced to 30% in Pusan, 20% in Incheon versus conditions prior to the strike. The Ulsan port is currently shut down.
- Container delivery out of Pusan & Incheon ports has been reduced to a full halt.
- Our expectation is that demurrage and detention will still be charged by the port and shipping lines.
- No delay or blank sailing of vessel schedules out of Korea have been communicated to this point.
For alternative solutions such as air freight or warehousing, GEODIS’ representatives are eager to help you to mitigate risks that potentially caused by this event. Should you have any concern and/or queries, please contact GEODIS Local Representative or reach out to our team in Korea at [email protected]
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
A fire and a huge explosion have killed at least 49 people and injured hundreds more at a storage depot near the city of Chittagong, Bangladesh on Saturday 4 June, 21:00h local time. Hundreds of people had arrived to tackle the fire when several shipping containers exploded at the site in Sitakunda.
All of GEODIS employees are safe and none of customers’ cargo has been impacted since GEODIS does not have any operation in the BM Container Depot. We regularly evaluate the compliance regulations of the depots we use to ensure we meet the highest cargo handling and storing standards for our clients.
Bangladesh already has shortages of empty equipment and with around 3000 empty containers getting damaged in the fire, we could see further shortages in the upcoming months. Additionally, a lack of space across different depots is foreseen as seasonal volumes increase and all depots are already congested. Customers may expect heavy delays during Bangladesh’s Muslim Festival next month (July 9th - July 11th).
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Shanghai government announced the reopening from 1st June. Currently, employees working in airports, ports, medical institutions, centralized quarantine sites, cold-chain logistics industry, as well as couriers and workers who maintain the day-to-day operations of the city continue to be required to undergo regular nucleic acid tests.
Air freight:
- From 4th June, all GEODIS’ handling agents in Shanghai Airport (PVG) will resume work with the full workforce.
- GEODIS offers AirDirect Asia-Europe from China’s Zhengzhou (CGO) – Amsterdam (AMS) via London (STN) four times weekly, from June 2022.
Ocean freight:
Export
- All Container Freight Stations (CFS) and depots will resume normal operations as of this week in both Wai Gao Qiao and Yangshan areas.
- All terminals in Wai Gao Qiao and Yangshan are operating yet not at their full capacity.
Import
- All de-consolidation warehouses have resumed operations as of this week.
- The storage situation in Shanghai ports has improved for inbound heavy containers (including special cargos like reefer and Dangerous Goods), therefore we recommend going forward not to change the destination port from Shanghai.
Trucking:
- The trucking service in Shanghai has resumed its normal operation. Road transportation between Zhejiang/Jiangsu and Shanghai is partly operational for the time being. Nonetheless, GEODIS teams can offer alternative solution for our customers when needed.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
The overall daily confirmed cases have decreased to the hundreds. Shanghai is on a course of gradual returning to normalcy. Commercial businesses and public transportation have gradually resumed since last week. GEODIS continues to monitor the situation and provide alternative solutions while maintaining prompt communications to our customers. Below please find our recent update on freight operations:
Ocean Freight:
- The exclusive lockdown campaign in Wai Gao Qiao ended. Consequently, facilities such as Container Freight Stations (CFS) and container depots associated to Wai Gao Qiao ports have gradually gone back to normal in the past week. As a result, the traffic congestion in the Yangshan area has been relieved.
Air freight:
- PVG Airport operation capacities have recovered up to 70% of its normal capacity as of last week.
- CGO Airport’s logistics district has lifted the ban. The domestic transportation in/out of Zhengzhou subsequently improves. The lead time from arrival at CGO to cargo and documents available at PVG is now 3 days, same as that of the general process prior to the outbreak.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Shanghai authorities is implementing strict measures in hoping to clear the way for an exit from a six-week lockdown. The Chinese commercial hub of 25 million people has in recent days been intensifying its lockdown for to eliminate the virus by the end of the month.
Shanghai
Ocean freight:
- The traffic congestion is severe on the roads leading to Yangshan. It takes approximately 6-7 hours to get into Yangshan by truck for shipment delivery or empty pickup. GEODIS is monitoring the developments closely and will promptly communicate to our customers.
- An exclusive lockdown campaign has started in Wai Gao Qiao area on10th May and will last until 15th May. This causes Container Freight Station (CFS) to shut down again. For export shipments from Wai Gao Qiao terminals, it is highly recommended to customers to divert shipments to CFS in Yangshan until Wai Gao Qiao will reopen.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Shanghai authorities issued another whitelist of 3,000 major enterprises for their work resumption application. GEODIS China is included in the whitelist. Additionally, Zhengzhou has imposed a lockdown on its urban districts from Wednesday till next Tuesday. GEODIS continues to monitor the situation and provide alternative solutions while maintaining prompt communications to our customers. Below please find our recent update on freight operations:
Shanghai
- Ocean freight: Ocean LCL operators and deconsolidation facilities start to resume their operations. The deconsolidation at terminal and cargo pickup after clearance have as well resumed for the LCL inbound cargo.
- Airfreight: Operation capacities at the airport has been increased to 60%. CV (CGO connection), CA, SK, CK, CZ, SV, QR have resumed their full schedules from this week onward.
Zhengzhou
- Zhengzhou Airport has fully resumed international inbound transport from 1st May 2022 and lifted restrictions on the import cargo volume and flight volume of international freighter (including passenger to freighter) flights.
- Currently, the lockdown in the urban districts does not affect the operation of the airport at CGO, nor does it affect inbound or outbound cargo which can travel via highway or suburban districts out of lockdown.
- The road feeder service from Zhengzhou to destination is re-installed, except for routes to HRB, SHE, NKG, TNA, SZV, HGH, CTU and XMN. On average, the lead time is expected to be 3 days longer than pre-lockdown period.
Beijing
- Export: The operation capability has improved. The on-site labours attendance ratio reached 80% for the time being.
- Import: CA & BGS, the major cargo terminals at PEK are still cleaning the backlog. It takes BGS 4-5 days to process breakbulk while CA needs 3-4 days.
- Road: Pick-up and delivery within Beijing can be arranged. Transport into Beijing from other provinces would be delayed by approx. 1-2 days, which is mostly delayed at the entry point of highways.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Following the rising Covid cases in Beijing, additional 10 districts are undergoing mass nucleic tests (there are a total of 16 districts in the city). The cityclosed more businesses and residential compounds on Friday 29th April. The authorities are ramping up contact tracing to contain a COVID-19 outbreak, while resentment at the month-long lockdown in Shanghai grew. As a result, GEODIS Beijing office started implementing working from home measure, effective 28th April.
Operation impact in Beijing airport:
- The cargo terminal building has been closed following a detected Covid case on 27th April.
- There is a sudden shortage in manpower for the ground handling agencies and on-site forwarders staff since the new measure required the infected person, close contacts, as well as contacts of the close contacts have been requested to do a 14-days quarantine.
- Export and import operation capacities are reduced. A delay in cargo handling is expected.
Operation impact in Shaghai airport:
- Airlines have started resuming their operation from Shanghai PVG. From this week.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
According to recent reports, China has reached 21,058 cases of Covid positive with 39 Covid deaths in Shanghai last Saturday which is a new record high. Local authorities in Shanghai built fences around building entrances to further restrict residents’ movements in the city as part of the tough lockdown. GEODIS maintains close contacts with relevant parties to monitor the situation and takes proactive actions to support and communicate with out customers. Below please find our recent update on freight operations in China.
Ocean freight:
- Congestion at Shanghai ports are starting to ease up, and the acceptable classification of Dnagerous Goods is IMO 2.2 and 3 respectively.
- For those urgent shipments and/or shipments with minimum delay, Shipping lines still encourage diversion from Shanghai ports to other ports in China.
- Due to the continuous decrease in export volume, shipping lines are announcing more blank sailings and omissions out of China in the coming weeks. This move is to ensure stable market freightage.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Shanghai:
Airfreight:
- With the resumption of work from key manufacturers in Shanghai, daily volume for shipments picked up from PVG is more than the volume arriving at PVG which was 109 flights yesterday.
- Inbound backlog is starting to ease up and PVG terminal operation capacity has recovered by approximately 50%.
- Dangerous Goods (DG) cargo to PVG is still restricted.
- Cool Chain Shipments routed to PVG are now possible with the following regulations:
- Each shipment needs to be no more than 10 cubic meters.
- Carriers should alert PVG in advance to ensure storage space availability 3 days prior to ETD.
- Currently for the carriers: CA, CK, NH, SQ, KE, EY are on whitelist for international air trips via PVG.
Ocean Freight:
- The situation remains unchanged for ocean freight operation.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
As the lockdown in Shanghai enters its fourth week, the number of new confirmed COVID cases is continuing to rise. Chinese authorities are taking steps to shore up supply chains that have been battered by strict lockdown measures, including drawing up “white lists” of companies that can resume production and operations. GEODIS continues to monitor the situation and provide alternative solutions while maintaining prompt communications to our customers. Below please find our recent update on freight operations of ones of China's key cities:
Zhengzhou:
- Due to the lockdown of Zhengzhou airport logistics district, GEODIS teams in Zhengzhou started working from home, effective 18 April.
- Airport terminal operation remains the same as last Friday.
- Besides the negative result of nucleic test of driver, pass permission is also needed for trucks to enter and exit the district. GEODIS can provide 15 trucks with required permits to perform the pickup or delivery for our customers.
Shanghai:
- Operationally, there are no major changes on ports, airports, and the trucking condition in Shanghai.
- Customers are highly encouraged to consider change-of-destination (COD) to discharge at other ports to prevent delays and/or damage to your cargo, especially for time-sensitive commodities. Alternatively, for customers who prefer to have their cargo retained on board (ROB) and returned to origin port, this can be arranged as well. If you do not COD or ROB your container and it cannot be discharged in Shanghai, your container will be diverted to transhipment ports to be stored in the interim and will be transported to Shanghai once the situation permits.
Ningbo:
- While Ningbo city itself is resuming normal, Yiwu and Yongkang counties in Jinhua have seen a surge in positive cases. As such, cargo from Jinhua is forbidden to enter warehouses in Ningbo. Additionally, there is no pickup of LCL or FCL possible for the time being.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Due to a COVID case being detected among the drivers, the Zhengzhou airport logistics district has been locked down since 15 April, from 12:00 pm local. The lockdown period is expected to last 14 days. Below is the latest status on the situation.
Trucking Services:
- Highway exits are closed: trucking out of the district are not allowed
- As only residents are allowed to enter the district but not allowed to leave, pickup for inbound cargo will be further delayed and outbound cargo transferred to Zhengzhou Airport for export would face difficulties entering the airport area.
- A strict public transportation restriction is being implemented.
- Operation in the cargo terminal at the airport still remains normal today. GEODIS is monitoring the updates of local COVID-19 measurements closely and will maintain prompt communication to our customers.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Shanghai reported 25,141 new asymptomatic coronavirus cases for Tuesday, up from 22,348 a day earlier, and symptomatic cases also jumped to 1,189 from 994, city authorities said, according to Reuter. GEODIS vigilantly monitors developments, and our teams continually assess options for our clients’ shipments. Below please find our recent update on freight operations in China.
Trucking:
- Pick-up and deliveries within the Yangtze River Delta Zone are seriously affected by the control measures which impact to trucking services.
- From the morning of 13th April, local time, trucking services in Shanghai, Kunshan, Taicang and Nantong are suspended following the extended lockdown.
- Trucking services in Wuxi, Suzhou and Jiaxing encounter some challenges due to strict anti-covid measurements being implemented by the local authorities. Waiting time at the highway entrances and exits is approx. 40 hours.
Ocean Freight:
- There is a continuous drop of outbound volumes due to the road restriction measures implemented over the Yangtze River Delta Zone.
- The port epidemic control has been upgraded on Apr 13th due to some cases reported in Nanjing Port. Investigation is underway by local authority and delays are expected in the handling of shipments
- Ningbo ports’ warehouse spaces are fully booked. Port operations are still running as per normal.
Airfreight:
Shanghai (PVG):
- There is still no official re-opening announced for PVG airport.
- GEODIS’ CFS has recovered some of our operation capabilities with daily windows of 3-4 hours. Total handling capacity is estimated to be max. 30 tons a day for outbound from PVG.
- Most carriers have cancelled flights till end of the week except for CA, CZ, CK and SQ. There are limited flights operation for LH.
- Outbound cargo receipt and inbound cargo pickup in GEODIS’ CFS can be managed, but all truckers are required to follow the regulation of COVID control measures for transportation.
Zhengzhou (CGO):
- From 11 April 2022, at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO), flights are reduced by 50%. Most inbound cargo to CGO is transit cargo to other cities/areas - mainly Shanghai which further added to an already serious backlog issue. Delays are expected. Furthermore, all transit shipments for other airports are banned: only the cargo with AWBs destination CGO are allowed. GEODIS is operating flight as planned despite with reduced capacity. Furthermore, as there are no transit shipments allowed, all forwarders are forced to only uplift shipments that can be cleared and picked up by customers in CGO. GEODIS teams are working on alternative solutions to overcome the capacity and backlog issues for our customers.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Please Note:
The Shanghai lockdown has been extended indefinitely, a move that casts further uncertainty over the supply chains of the whole China as well as the rest of the world. The Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) confirmed that it is maintaining normal 24-hour operations and that the average berth waiting time for container vessels was less than one day.
Due to the significant decrease in outbound volumes, shipping lines are announcing more blank sailings and omissions at Shanghai: The Alliance has cancelled at least 36 sailings at Shanghai, while the Ocean Alliance has also cancelled six sailings to-date. Furthermore, ONE has also confirmed that there would be 38 blank services between April 4 to May 8 on the Trans-Pacific, Asia-Europe, Mediterranean, and Intra-Asia services.
- The reduced trucking capacity and the closure of factories & warehouses has prompted ocean freight to be diverted – Ningbo, Qingdao and Tianjin topping the list of alternative ports. On the other hand, in the Southern Chinese region, the ocean freight operations appear to be functioning with less restrictions.
Please connect with your GEODIS contacts for more specific shipment related details and advice as needed.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
General updates:
- As of 00:00 6th April, the total number of infections is estimated to be around 100,000 cases. Massive testing are still underway in Shanghai (both Pudong and Puxi), and the city is still under lockdown.
Airfreight:
- GEODIS has obtained a special permission to re-implement our bonded road feeder service from Zhengzhou in to Shanghai.
This would mean that we will be able to resume normal operations and cargo clearance processes in Shanghai for our upcoming GEODIS AirDirect chartered flight (EU – CGO) scheduled on 7 April (ZT 181), please do expect an increased lead time of around 2 days due to the backlog situation in China.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
According to announcement from the government, Pudong (the east of Huangpu River) is still under lockdown till April 5th, 2022. Operations at Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) and Shanghai Ports (SHA), as well as trucking services are severely affected.
Trucking:
- Trucking services are only allowed for PPE and essential goods for livelihood. This will have an impact on inter-city and inter-province logistics transportation. The most impacted area is in Jiangsu Province.
Airfreight:
- Road Feeder Service from Zhengzhou (CGO) to Shanghai (PVG) is still suspended.
- Backlog in Zhengzhou (CGO) is increasing. GEODIS is diligently working with the local Customs Authorities to facilitate cargo clearance and avoid shipment delays or incurring extra costs for our customers.
Ocean Freight:
- In Shanghai, the lockdown in has resulted in a lack of manpower that is required to resume normal operations at various terminals for incoming and dispatching vessels. This has further increased congestion and limited capacity at the ports.
- Shipping lines are very concerned about the significantly reduced volumes in Shanghai in the upcoming weeks. We strongly recommend alternative loading ports, such as Ningbo and Taicang, for urgent shipments.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Please Note:
- Bonded truck service (also referred to as road feeder service) into Shanghai (PVG) airport has been discontinued for the 31st March to allow the airport terminals to clear backlogs caused by COVID restrictions severely limiting recovery of cargo in Shanghai. Customs clearance at airport of arrival is highly recommended to avoid delays in Shanghai.
- In the event where customs clearance is not possible at first airport of arrival (from foreign origin), storage is possible for now. However, it is our strong recommendation to delay cargo at origin.
- The volumes being moved on the China – Europe rail services remain very limited and have dropped to 50% of what was moved prior to the conflict in Ukraine. GEODIS continues not to recommend the service via Russia due to operational risks and has started some trial on the route via Turkey.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Please Note:
- All CFS operations in Shanghai Airport (PVG) have been shut down in compliance with the government’s lock down regulations; some had been operating through Monday under special authorization which has been now cancelled.
- Regarding movements between south China – Hong Kong, while the lockdown was lifted last week, the market still experiences a dramatic shortage of drivers willing to move cross border cargo further extending delivery times. Moving via barge remains the most predictable in terms of delivery timing in Hong Kong.
Ports and depots:
- Both Shanghai’s Yangshan and Waigaoqiao ports, heavy container gate-in and gate-out operation remain normal.
- FCL container trucks are operating; transportation of goods is possible by road in Pudong as long as both EIR and driver’s 48H nucleic testing negative result are produced. LCL container trucks are suspended as of 28 March 2022 until further notice.
- Following the suspension of empty container pickup services, GEODIS local team is coordinating with shipping line(s) to work out alternative solution for empty pickups and deliveries.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
From Monday 5 am. local time in China, a lockdown was imposed on Pudong, Punan and adjacent areas (including the Pudong New Area, Fengxian, Jinshan and Chongming districts as well as Pujin Subdistrict and Pujiang Town in Minhang District and Xinbang, Shihudang, Maogang and Yexie towns in suburban Songjiang District) to carry out nucleic acid testing following daily new infection numbers that climbed since Shanghai's worst outbreak started early this month. This lockdown will be lifted at 5am on April 1 on present schedule. Other areas in Puxi will be put under lockdown from 3am on April 1 through 3am on April 5, local time, for PCR testing.
Below are the impacts on the logistics operations:
Trucking:
- Given that the Shanghai (PVG) airport and Shanghai Ports (Waigaoqiao and Yangshan) are both located in Pudong, inland transport via Shanghai are suspended.
- Only container trucks with validated EIR are allowed to transport into Pudong as long as both EIR and driver’s 48H nucleic test negative result are produced.
Airfreight:
- Accordingly, significant capacity has been cut this week on the order of over 1000Tons to Europe alone. PVG CFS operations are closed and not operating during the lockdown. While the airport still operates on extremely limited basis, Shanghai import cargo will be delayed by the lockdown.
- CGO airport operates as normal to this point being well outside the impacted area in Shanghai and our own flight schedule (AMS-CGO-AMS) is maintained as published.
- Forwarder warehouses at PVG working area has been closed.
- The haulage between forwarders’ warehouses and cargo terminals are subject to approval of the local authorities.
Updates from various carriers:
- Air China, China Cargo Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Emirates are still operating as per normal until further notice.
- Cargolux confirmed that all flights this week will be cancelled while Etihad Airways has announced that they will resume operations only from 30th March 2022.
- GEODIS teams are able to provide alternative solutions for goods collection via Wuxi CFS for the scheduled charter flights in PVG.
Ocean freight:
Ports and depots:
- Both Yangshan and Waigaoqiao ports, heavy container gate-in and gate-out operation remain normal.
- Empty depots are closed from 28 March 5 am. until 1 April 5 am., local time. Empty container pickup and delivery are not permitted during this period.
Warehouse (CFS):
- Minimum number of staff are on duty in warehouses with 24/7 security requirement to maintain general operations such as cargo receipt, container stuffing, laden container gate-in etc.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Ocean Freight Update (Ukraine Situation)
- Following the suspensions of Baltic services of several major liners, the global capacity for shipments to and from Russia has been further reduced significantly. We do expect very moderate improvement in demand on main legs in trades to and from Northern Europe based on the reduction/ elimination of Russian cargo.
Road Transport (China)
- Shipments oriented from/routed to Jiangsu via Shanghai ports or Airport has largely resumed back to normal operations.
- The road transports between Shanghai – Jiangsu Province is operative. Slight delays due to the Covid related safety measure are expected.
- The customs border at Ping Xiang is partially open while Dong Xing Customs border remains closed. The anticipated lead time for outbound cargo from China is up to 25 days, and 22 days for inbound cargo.
Air Freight (China)
- As per March 17th, Shanghai airport (PVG) closes all inbound international passenger flights for six weeks to stop the spread of new COVID cases. Shenzhen region is in lockdown since March 14th. Shenzhen airport terminal remains operational but with 30% reduced capacity. Airlines are evaluating whether to cancel flights.
Rail Freight
- Rail freight activities now is focusing on the route connecting China and Europe via Turkey as a larger number of companies are avoiding having their cargo transported through Russia/Belarus. Hence this so called “Middle Corridor” is rapidly gaining the momentum with more cargo being routed via Turkey, where there are regular onward services to the rest of Europe both by land, sea and multimodal. Our GEODIS Teams will be supporting customers to identify alternative transport solutions.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, as well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Following a recent report from local authorities, China confirmed over 5,000 new cases of COVID-19, more than double the number reported on Monday and the highest daily count since the beginning of the pandemic, more than two years ago. At least 11 cities have been locked down because of the latest surge, including Shenzhen, home to 17 million people.
Below are the impacts on the logistics operations:
- Due to tight traffic control on highways in/out of Jiangsu, domestic intercity transportations in Suzhou, Kunshan, Taicang, Changzhou, Nantong, Yangzhou and Wuxi are ta. On March 14 and March 15, several areas in Jiangsu have set up various local policy and restrictions on drivers and trucks from Shanghai. This has resulted in the closure of many highways as well as congestion of on-road truckers. Considering the existing congestion, the estimated delay of each transit is expected to be around 1 day.
- Traffic congestions can be seen along the Shanghai-Jiangsu highways which result in approx. 1 day delay in pickup and delivery of goods.
- Due to pandemic control measures, please do expect a delay in the gate-in process in vessel terminals and “bonded zones” in Shanghai. Shanghai Waigaoqiao Phase V Project is currently checking on a nucleic acid test report from all drivers at the point of gate-in which impacting a longer transit time.
- Highways in and out of Jiangsu are highly regulated. Checkpoints will also be set up at tollgates which will most likely result in delays. The highways are the only means of transport for pick-ups and delivery between Shanghai and Jiangsu. In view of several factors such as queueing, and the setting up of checkpoints at tollgates, please expect a delay of 1 to 2 hours.
- China’s aviation regulator said that 106 international flights scheduled to arrive in Shanghai would be diverted to other domestic cities from 21 March to 1 May due to Covid.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com, well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
The local Chinese authorities reported 1,337 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases over the last weekend. At 11:00 am local time in Beijing, 14th March, 13 locations have been classified as high-risk districts and 283 locations as medium risk districts which are as follows:
- High risk districts: 3 in Tianjin, 6 in Shandong Province, and 1 in Guangdong
- Medium risk districts: 9 in Tianjin, 9 in Shanghai, 103 in Jiangsu Province, 47 in Shandong Province, 20 in Guangdong Province, and 3 in Chongqing
Please Note:
- GEODIS offices in China will implement work from home mode where the local COVID prevention and control measurements are rolled out including our entity in Shanghai, starting 15 March 2022 until further notice.
- Trucking services are expected to be disrupted.
Impacts on Domestic Transport Services (as of 15:00 pm local time today):
- Pickup and delivery services are at halt in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Jilin, and Changchun.
- Pickup and delivery services are disrupted for shipment in/through Shanghai, Weihai, Zibo, Yantai, Laixi, Tianjin and Jiangsu Province.
- In addition, all drivers going out of town must have a validated negative nucleic acid test result 24 or 48 hours prior to leaving town. Delays can be expected.
- Jiangsu region: Restrictions are mainly in Kunshan/Wuxi/Suzhou/Taicang/Changzhou where pickup and delivery are facing challenges
- Permission from the local authority is required for all pickup and/or delivery for all customers who are still operating productions in Changchun.
- Several highway toll gates have been closed.
Cross-border Trucking Status:
- China-Hong Kong lines have been suspended until further notice. Barge and trucking multimodal transport solutions can be offered on a case-by-case basis.
- The border between China and ASEAN (Pingxiang/ Dongxing) remains closed. Rail-truck multimodal solutions can be offered on a case-by-case basis.
- No protocol or restrictions have been implemented at major gateway airports/seaports in China. GEODIS is monitoring the updates from local authorities very closely.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com/sg/en, geodis.com as well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
Shenzhen is placed into week-long lockdown, until 20 March, following the reporting of 437 new infections on Sunday. Based on how the situation develops, the lockdown might be extended further. Businesses providing non-essential services have been ordered to close and everyone in the city of 17 million will be tested for COVID-19.
Please note:
- Warehouse operation in Shenzhen is currently suspended until further notice following the latest mandate from the government
- Trucking intra-city services in Shenzhen are available, though with less drivers due to quarantine requirement.
- Shenzhen Terminals are operating as usual as well as the feeder vessels.
- Shenzhen and Dongguan factories are closing their production, as they are not allowed to stuff the containers and deliver cargo to the ports.
- For suppliers located outside Shenzhen and Dongguan areas, who used to operate via Shenzhen ports (Yantian /Shekou/Chiwan), GEODIS offers alternate Container Freight Stations operation in Nansha port and Full Container Load services can be managed via Nansha or Guangzhou ports.
- The border crossings between Shenzhen and Hong Kong are closed for all non-essential goods
- Import cargo at Shenzhen ports are possible yet subject to importers being able to receive their cargo
- Some shipping depots in Shenzhen stopped their empty releases
- GEODIS employees in Shenzhen are informed to work from home starting Mar 14th until further notice.
- Currently, public transportation in Shenzhen is not available.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments.
This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com/sg/en, geodis.com as well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
The events in Ukraine continue to impact global supply chains and particularly services involving Russia.
- In view of the situation, GEODIS is stopping its services to and from Russia, as well as Belarus.
- GEODIS will not accept new bookings for the Asia-Europe rail service until further notice.
- GEODIS' trucking services to and from Ukraine are suspended.
For customers with current shipments going to or passing through the affected areas, our teams will be reaching out to assess possible alternative transport solutions, in accordance with international regulations and sanctions.
Ocean freight: Several major ocean carriers have announced to suspend services fully or partially to and from Russia. In many cases, new bookings are not being accepted at all. For shipments currently in transit to Russia (and most of Ukraine), shipping lines are diverting cargo to other locations. This diversion also applies to Ukraine’s main ports. Odessa, Pivdennyi, Mylolaiv and Chornomorsk remain blocked, as well as ports located in the Sea of Azov.
Airfreight: In addition to the already announced blockage of airspace in Russia and Europe, the USA announced its immediate ban on Russian airlines from their airspace yesterday. GEODIS’ AirDirect service between China and Europe is being expanded by three additional 747 air freighter rotations, transporting cargo into both directions. In case of inquiries please contact your nearest GEODIS representative.
We will continue to provide updates on our website and directly to affected customers in as timely a fashion as possible. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to your nearest GEODIS representative in case of questions or concerns.
As the events in Ukraine intensify, supply chains are increasingly impacted. GEODIS continues to vigilantly monitor the developments, and our team continues to assess the situation and provide possible solutions to affected clients, strictly in line with the latest applicable international regulations and sanctions.
GEODIS has suspended any business involving the regions Crimea/Sevastopol, Donetsk, and Luhansk.
Services to and from other regions of Ukraine as well as services going into, coming out of, or transiting through Russia and Belarus are handled on a strictly case-by-case basis only. GEODIS is not committing to lead times and fixed rates for any bookings involving these territories, due to the unpredictability of the situation and the high risk of delays or even complete service suspension.
- Ocean: Several ocean carriers have suspended their services for shipments to/from Ukraine’s main ports, and they are diverting cargo to other locations, because the Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Pivdennyi, Mylolaiv and Chornomorsk are blocked, as well as ports located in the Sea of Azov.
- Air freight: The blockage of the Russian airspace extended to an additional 34 airlines yesterday, due to the Russian government reacting in response to the closure of European airspace for Russian airlines – adding to further capacity shortage and flight schedule changes.
Our GEODIS AirDirect service between China and Europe continues to operate and is bypassing the blocked airspace. Due to the evolving situation, flight rotations and available rates are subject to frequent changes. For inquiries, please contact your nearest GEODIS representative. - Rail freight: While rail freight operators for the Asia-Europe trade confirm their rail services via Russia are operative, GEODIS recommends to forego booking rail shipments between Asia and Europe because of the instability of the current state of events. Our teams are supporting customers to identify alternative transport solutions.
- Overland road transport routes are bypassing affected regions of Ukraine and adjacent territories impacted by the events. Delays or service suspensions are likely to occur.
We will continue to provide updates on our website and directly to affected customers in as timely a fashion as possible. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to your nearest GEODIS representative in case of questions or concerns.
As the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, GEODIS vigilantly monitors developments, and our teams continually assess options for our clients’ shipments.
- Services to and from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine are handled on a strict case-by-case basis only. As a result of the shifting circumstances, GEODIS is unable to commit to lead times or fixed rates for bookings going into, coming out of, or transiting through this region. Please be aware that the current situation brings a risk of delays or even complete service suspension.
- The GEODIS’ suspension of any business involving the regions of Crimea/Sevastopol, Donetsk and Luhansk remains in place.
- Following a decision by the European Commission, Russian airlines are banned from the European Union airspace, since this morning, including Russian operated Air Bridge Cargo. The suspension of overflight rights over Russia and Ukraine are impacting airfreight flows in general. As a result, the flows between China and Europe especially are affected as many airlines have announced flight suspensions, cancelations, or payload limitations; these airlines include Air France, KLM and Lufthansa amongst others.
- Our GEODIS AirDirect Freighter service between China and Europe is operating, however. Our flightpath avoids Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and parts of Moldavia, but due to the evolving situation the flight schedule is subject to possible frequent changes. For inquiries, please contact your nearest GEODIS representative.
- Overland road transport routes are bypassing Ukraine and adjacent territories affected by the recent events. While alternative routes are available, delays or even suspensions are likely to occur as well.
- Rail freight transportation from Asia to Europe is still operated via Russian territory. While rail operators confirm their services are maintained, there is an increased risk of delays or service suspensions given the evolving situation. We recommend not to book rail shipments between Asia and Europe at the current state of events. Our GEODIS Teams will be supporting customers to identify alternative transport solutions.
- Most ocean carriers active in the Region are still moving cargo to and from Ukraine, however mostly to ports in less affected areas and with less yard density which is adding further to capacity scarcity.
Our teams keep monitoring the situation carefully to assess potential impacts on our clients’ supply chains. For identified shipments affected by the situation, your GEODIS representative will be reaching out directly, to propose alternative solutions as soon and as far as possible.
We continue to provide relevant updates on our website and also directly to affected customers in a timely fashion. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest GEODIS representative in case of questions or concerns.
The events in Ukraine are prompting further disruptions and restrictions to the transport sector in the Region, also due to tightened sanctions imposed on Russia.
- The airspace of Ukraine, Moldavia and parts of Belarus remains closed. In a reaction to the announcement of the British government to ban Russian airlines from entering the UK, Russia has announced to prevent UK airlines from entering Russian airspace this morning. Further airspace closures or airline specific restrictions are anticipated, leading to possible delays for re-routed flights and an increased risk of further net capacity reductions which might prompt rate increases as well.
- The GEODIS AirDirect Freighter service is operating, in avoidance of the above mentioned airspaces.
- GEODIS has suspended any business involving the regions of Crimea/Sevastopol, Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) regions.
- Road overland transports are avoiding Ukraine and adjacent territories affected by the recent events. While alternative routes are available, delays are likely to occur as well.
- Rail freight transportation from Asia to Europe is currently operated via Russian territory only. While operators confirm that services are maintained, there is an increased risk of delays or even service suspensions given the evolving situation in Ukraine and the related sanctions imposed on Russia. Our GEODIS Teams will be supporting customers to identify alternative transport solutions if and when required.
- Ocean transports into/out of Ukraine, specifically Odessa, are being suspended by different carriers, and re-routings via Romania, Lebanon, Greece and other locations have been announced, which is leading to corresponding delays. Several carriers have also announced to avoid affected areas of the Black Sea in general.
- The imposed and evolving sanctions against Russia are causing delays in the reviews of specific exports prior to pick up. The European Council is publishing their information about sanctions imposed by the Europe Union here.
Our teams keep monitoring the situation carefully to assess potential impacts on our clients’ supply chains. For identified shipments affected by the situation, your GEODIS representative will be reaching out directly, to propose alternative solutions as soon and as far as possible.
We continue to provide relevant updates on our website and also directly to affected customers in a timely fashion. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest GEODIS representative in case of questions or concerns.
Following the recent events between Russia and Ukraine, we are monitoring the situation carefully to address potential impacts our on clients’ supply chains. For any identified shipment of our customers affected by the situation in Ukraine (or through imposed sanctions), a GEODIS representative will be reaching out on a case-by-case basis, to propose alternative solutions as soon and as far as possible.
Please note:
- Due to the closed airspace of Ukraine, Moldavia and parts of Belarus, we anticipate delays for re-routed flights and a net reduction of capacity
- Concerning rail freight transportation from Asia to Europe, alternative routes avoiding Ukraine are available and operative for the moment. Nevertheless, delays and capacity shortage are likely to occur.
- Road overland transports might be affected as far as they were planned to enter or transit the affected region. While alternative routes are available, delays are likely to occur as well.
- Furthermore the evolving sanctions against Russia could generate delays in the reviews of specific exports prior to pick up.
Please be aware that, In view of the situation, GEODIS is suspending any business involving the regions of Crimea/Sevastopol, Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) regions, with immediate effect.
While the situation continues to evolve, we will provide relevant updates on our website and directly to affected customers in a timely fashion. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest GEODIS representative in case of questions or concerns.
Following the fifth wave of a severe outbreak in Hong Kong, China Customs Authorities tightened the policies for cross-border trucks between Hong Kong & Guangdong province in China. This results in a serious shortage of trucking capacity in the market and delays of cargos.
The remaining trucking capacities are largely used for food transportation between Mainland China and Hong Kong.
GEODIS is doing its utmost to maintain excellent services and help the customers to minimize damages from this disruption. Therefore, an alternative solution is established to enable the transport of cargo from Mainland China to Hong Kong using a ferry service. Below please find the detail.
Airfreight Cargo:
Routing: The pickup service is available from Shenzhen & Guangzhou to Zhongshan port. The cargo is loaded into sea freight containers and transported to Hong Kong’s airfreight warehouse.
Service scope: The service is applicable for general cargo only, which can be loaded into a 20’ containers.
Feeder schedule: Daily (MON-SAT) from Zhongshan to Hong Kong, departing nighttime.
Leadtime: Takes 3-4 days from Zhongshan port to GEODIS warehouse in Hong Kong.
Day 0 -1: Place booking, Cargo pickup from Shenzhen
Day 2: Feeder departure
Day 3: Cargo arrives to Hong Kong Airport AFFC GEODIS warehouse
Customs declaration: General customs process and documents, export filing at feeder port is required
Pricing: For exact rates, please contact GEODIS' Air Freight Team in the region at: [email protected]
Ocean Cargo:
Routing: Cargo can be delivered to GEODIS’ Shenzhen or Guangzhou warehouse, or trucking pickup can be arranged to Guangzhou/Shenzhou port. The LCL cargo is loaded into sea freight containers and transported to GEODIS Hong Kong Sea Freight Warehouse. Container pick up and feeder service are also available.
Service Scope: The service is applicable for general cargo only, for 40’ container.
Feeder schedule: Wednesday from Guangzhou/Shenzhen to Hong Kong
Leadtime: Takes 3-4 days from Guangzhou/Shenzhou port to Hong Kong GEODIS warehouse
Day 0-1: Place booking, Cargo pickup from Shenzhen
Day 2: Feeder departure
Day 3: Cargo arrive to Hong Kong GEODIS warehouse
Customs declaration: General customs process and documents, export filing at feeder port is required.
Pricing: For exact rates please contact the Ocean Pricing team in Hong Kong, Shenzhen or Guangzhou at: [email protected]
A Maersk vessel has been successfully refloated in the early morning of Friday 4 February 2022 after being on ground on a shallow patch outside Bremerhaven, Germany on 2 February. The vessel was sailing from Asia and had its last stop in the port of Rotterdam. The vessel is again under the full control of its captain.
GEODIS acted promptly to assess the situation and identified the relevant shipments that were impacted from this situation. If you have cargo onboard, if not already, please expect our representative to reach out to you shortly. We will keep you informed again once the updated of port of call schedule is confirmed.
Your supply chain is of our utmost concern. GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves. This information will be available on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
On 17 January 2022, Mainland China reported more COVID-19 cases in Henan, in Tianjin, Shaanxi, Guangdong, and Beijing. Below are the recent developments and impacts on freight operations:
- GEODIS staff in Tianjin have been informed to work from home until further notice following locally reported 312 COVID cases.
- Trucks are currently allowed to leave Tianjin city at the checkpoints of expressways and ordinary highways. However, a longer lead time is expected for all pick-up and delivery out of Tianjin city due to stricter measures.
- In Tianjin city, there is no available truck service for Tianjin rail cargo to / from Zhengzhou terminal. GEODIS Rail team is working with our partners on the domestic rail solution via Xi’ An terminal, and will keep our customers informed accordingly.
Due to the change in drivers at the border of Tianjin and Beijing for incoming trucks from Tianjin to Beijing, there will be an increase in the pick-up and delivery charges.
There are no available truck services for rail cargo delivery to / from Xi`An terminal. Our customers are advised to consider domestic train transportation services. There are delays expected due to a serious congestion at Xi`An terminal.
In Beijing, LCL truck service is still available between Beijing and Zhengzhou from now to before Lunar Chinese New Year. Please note that the last pickup date will be on 20th January 2022. There will be limited services available due to fewer resources during the Chinese New Year holiday.
In view of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games that will be held in Beijing in February 2022, security measures have been further tightened resulting in the oversized goods being longer allowed at the airport warehouse and shall be diverted to other airports in Beijing, effective from 17th January 8:00 a.m. until 14th March 2022 8:00 a.m. local time.
Below are key points developments and impacts on freight operations:
- Currently, there are no disruptions to port operations in Tianjin. However, trucking services have been impacted due to traffic control measures that were put in place from Wednesday afternoon. Local truckers are also not allowed to leave the city. All vehicles entering from outside of Tianjin will be detained until further notice of the traffic control measures.
- In Beijing, the strict control of the toll gate and the physical checks of the itinerary code and health code have caused congestions on multiple highways routed to Beijing. Longer lead time is expected for haulage to and from Beijing.
- New cases were also reported in Zhengzhou and Xuchang. In Henan, the local governor has implemented traffic control measures, which has resulted in minor disruption in trucking services. To-date, no restriction measures have been announced for Zhengzhou Airport operations.
The overall situation has improved and we would like to share the following updates:
- Emergency response level of Beilun District has been adjusted from Level 1 to Level 2
- Temporary management measures to close off certain areas of the Beilun District have also been lifted, with the exception of the control area which remains closed
- Up to 90% of trucking resource and CFS service have resumed back to normal
- Close to 15% of the drivers are still affected by lockdown restrictions within closed control areas
- We are expecting a surge in cargo demand and container space in the coming weeks
LATEST UPDATE:
- The Municipal Government of Ningbo is expediting on the management of whitelist to ensure minimal disruption to the logistics chain flow. As at this morning, approximately 8,500 container truck drivers have been whitelisted and given the green pass access. More drivers are expected to be added to the whitelist in the next few days.
- We expect container haulage services to resume back to normal at the end of this week.
Following the recent confirmed COVID cases at Ningbo’s Zhenhai district, a new partial lockdown has been imposed in Ningbo with effect from Monday, 3rd January 2022, as reported by local media.
To minimise disruption in container services and ship operations within the port areas of Beilun, Ningbo Zhoushan Port, a “transportation green lane” from the high-way gates to the container terminals will be opened for container trucks only. This exceptional arrangement will be closely monitored under strict COVID prevention and control measures by the Port Authority. You may find out more details on the epidemic prevention and control measures by clicking HERE.
LATEST OPERATIONAL STATUS:
- Out of 20,000 container trucks in Beilun, only 8,000 container trucks are licensed with a special pass to enter the port via the “transportation green lane”. As a result, please expect slight delays due to limited trucking services to Ningbo.
- Less Than Truckload Freight is still prohibited. Thus, the Container Freight Station’s cargo operations remains suspended until further notice.
- Due to a restriction on trucking resources, we encourage our customers with urgent bookings to consider either feeder services, domestic rail services to Ningbo port, or to divert their cargo to other origins. This is to minimize inland service disruptions. For specific shipment status, kindly contact your GEODIS local representative for more details.
The transportation and production at Zhoushan Port in Ningbo continue to remain safe and efficient as of 3rd January 2022.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments. This information will be available on our website, https://geodis.com/sg/en, geodis.com as well as on our official LinkedIn page.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
As Vietnam emerges from the strict lockdowns imposed in the last two months, it is anticipated that the airport and seaport terminals in Ho Chi Minh City will experience cargo congestion in the weeks to come as companies reopen. This is expected to drive up the costs of shipping, given capacity and equipment shortage will occur as a result of an increased demand to clear the backlog.
Ocean Freight
SOUTH-MARKET (HCMC): The current low volume is due to the lengthy lockdown implemented earlier in Ho Chi Minh City so there is currently no congestion at this port. Vietnam has just reopened; however the volume of outbound cargo is expected to increase due to the release of the delayed orders and high demand post-lockdown, leading to the anticipated congestion in HCMC ports.
Space and equipment in Ho Chi Minh are available as of now, It is expected that the market is to resume full production capacity by end of October.
NORTH AND MIDDLE-MARKET: Space and equipment in Haiphong, Da Nang and Qui Nhon are limited as production and trading are normal.
Air freight
- All airfreight activities are back to normal. However, the terminals are very busy as air freight volume is rising after the lockdown ended.
- Due to the shortage of ground handling staff, there are delays and congestion at terminals.
Customs & Transportation
- In general, the customs & transportation activities are back to normal.
Contract Logistics
- Businesses have received official notification that these Covid-19 Directives 15, 16 and 19 are temporarily put on hold.
- As per the latest guideline of Binh Duong government, each company and/or factory could register for “3 green zones”: The GEODIS Vietnam team is in amidst of the organizing of the appropriate applications to ensure we are able to operate our warehouses with full staff strength.
Many industries are likely to face a shortage of labor when they resume post-Covid-19 as many migrant workers left the city for their hometowns after the city eased lockdowns.
Satellite cameras currently show Typhoon Chanthu swirling to the east of Shanghai. By Thursday 16 September, it will likely move northeast with weakened intensity. This situation has resulted the following airport and port suspension information for eastern coastal areas:
Airfreight
All inbound and outbound flights at Hongqiao (SHA) and Pudong (PVG) international airports will resume operations starting at 10:00 and 14:00 today (local time) respectively. However, it will take some time for schedules to recover from the significant backlog. New bookings made on 14 and 15 September are pending carrier acceptance.
Ocean Freight
Shanghai’s Yangshan and Waigaoqiao ports are slowly getting back to normal as of 19:00 and 22:00 today (local time) respectively. All terminals at Ningbo port resumed normal operations as of 13:00 today (local time). Following Covid restrictions and the closure of Meishan (due to 1 confirmed case), the latest disruption at Chanthu has created pockets of congestion and backlog at both ports. We estimate that it will take weeks to fully recover.
For the latest flight status of all departures from Shanghai Pudong Airport, please click HERE.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation, and we are doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and as our product teams are able to share assessments. This information will be available on our website (www.geodis.com) as well as on LinkedIn.
Please reach out to your local GEODIS representative if you have any questions or concerns.
Authorities in Shanghai and neighbouring regions have suspended flights and transportation services as Typhoon Chanthu bears down on China’s east coast. The center of the 14th typhoon of the year was just to the southeast of Shanghai, packing winds of around 150km per hour. The observatory said that the typhoon is expected to make landfall in the province's coastal areas between Zhoushan and Ningbo or pass through Zhoushan Islands Monday evening (13th Sep).
In Zhejiang, a province near Shanghai raised its emergency response to the highest level, closing schools and suspending flights and rail services in some cities, the official Xinhua news service reported. The local authorities also issued red alerts for flash floods in nine districts.
Ningbo, China’s second-biggest container port after Shanghai, suspended operations on Sunday at noon (04:00 GMT). The port had just resumed business after a weeks-long port congestion, following typhoon In-Fa in late July and a COVID-19-related terminal closure in mid-August.
In Shanghai, home to about 26 million people, all flights at the city’s larger Pudong International Airport were cancelled from 11am local time (03:00 GMT) on Monday, while flights from the smaller Hongqiao airport in the west of the city were set to be cancelled from 3pm (07:00 GMT), the Shanghai government announced.
Several provinces in East China have elevated its emergency response to the highest level which also impacted the transportation services:
IMPACT ON FREIGHT OPERATIONS:
Ocean Freight: Operations at Ningbo and Shanghai have been heavily impacted
- All terminals in Ningbo port have officially announced suspension of their services for empty pickup and laden containers gate-in or pickup from Sunday till further notice.
- Authorities of Yangshan port and Waigaoqiao port, in Shanghai, have announced the suspension of terminals’ container services from Sunday and/or Monday until further notice.
Airfreight: Many airlines announced flight cancellations. The remaining flights schedule at airports in coastal cities have been adjusted.
- Hongqiao (SHA) and Pudong (PVG) airports in Shanghai: Flights are canceled from 15:00 pm, Monday at local time.
- Xiaoshan (HGH) airport in Hangzhou: All scheduled flights are canceled from 11:00 am, Monday at local time.
- Lishe (NGB) airport in Ningbo: All scheduled flights of Monday are canceled.
- Lukou (NKG) airport in Nanjing: Flights are slashed to 310 sorties on Monday, according to the flow control authority.
GEODIS is closely monitoring the situation and doing our utmost to mitigate potential risks for our clients. We will post updates as the situation evolves and our product teams are able to share assessments. This information will be available on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.
Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your GEODIS Local Representative.
1. Airfreight:
• No major changes at PVG according to the latest update from the CEN China airfreight team. Carriers are gradually recovering their schedules.
• The CGO nucleic acid testing rules (test every 48 hours) is now an area of concern for freight forwarding companies’ onsite staff working in the CGO terminal.
• After several days of terminations, inbound flights are allowed to land at CGO airport.
• Due to congestion in the inbound terminal warehouse, CGO/CTU/CKG are not accepting oversized inbound shipments.
• Because of the large number of shipments transferred to other major airports due to the congestion at PVG, the air market demand at CGO/CTU/CKG is booming.
• A longer booking lead time of up to 7 days is required, due to the space constraints.
• As the airfreight rate has increased significantly compared with last week, carriers will not accept space reservations without detailed shipment information.
2. Ocean Freight:
At all Ningbo-Zhoushan terminals, container yard opening remains at 2-3 days prior to vessel berthing.
3. Rail Freight:
• Due to serious congestion at borders, China Railway has started to cut rail operating plans and schedules to ease the current congestion situation and improve the quality of service, especially lead times.
• The rail team is observing that some customers have begun to switch their cargo back to sea freight now because of reliable lead times.
4. Inland road transportation:
As of 9am on 9 September 2021, there are 3 medium-risk areas in China: 1 in Jiangsu and 2 in Yunnan province. In these regions, there are still some difficulties when it comes to pickup or delivery.
1. Inland road transportation:
The overall situation is now improving. There are still difficulties faced in pickup and delivery in/out/over the locations defined areas with risk, which are mostly in Jiangsu Province. This has an effect on end-to-end international freight forwarding service.
2. Rail:
• There are severe congestions in the Chinese borders of Alashankou, Khorgos, Manzhouli and Erenhot, as well as Brest in Belarus, Mala in Poland and Kazakhstan.
• This is due to a combination of factors:
• Construction works in Poland, bad weather, COVID-19 Delta cases and a significant increase in volume that has slowed down rail operation and wagon circulation.
• These have resulted in long queues for reloading for both westbound and eastbound flows, and significantly longer transit times.
• There are construction works in the Hamburg Steinweg port from 30 Aug 2021 to 6 Sep 2021. No trains can be planned to/from Steinweg Hamburg; instead, cargo expected to depart from this terminal will be re-routed during this period.
• Germany's GDL train drivers' union has announced a strike from 2 to 7 Sep 2021. This is their third and longest strike in recent times.
• For cross border trucking, no lithium batteries can be moved by truck due to Alashankou’s closure.
• General cargo can be moved through Manzhouli and Khorgos with very limited capacity.
3. Airfreight:
• Due to the epidemic situation at PVG, airlines have switched some PVG flights to CGO airport. As a result, the flights export frequency from CGO has increased significantly, which has also lead to the airport operation capacity exceeding its upper limit. In addition, carriers deploying numerous charter flights at CGO in September has further increased the pressure on daily operation at CGO.
• New measures from CGO airport terminal warehouse:
• CGO terminal warehouse will not allow entry for cargo that is more than 48 hours away from ETD.
i. The current pandemic policy has severely reduced the efficiency of terminal warehouse operation.
ii. This may cause a congestion of trucks at the warehouse dock.
• Due to backlog issues, CGO airport has announced that it will not accept any inbound cargo.
• This has been in effect since last Saturday, until the airport clears the backlog ULD in the warehouse.
• In response, some airlines have cancelled some inbound flights to CGO due to the airport’s new policy.
4. Ocean freight:
• The situation in Ningbo is as follows:
• All terminals at Ningbo port are facing heavy congestion, with waiting time for vessels of 3-5 days at berth.
• Meishan terminal has officially resumed operation from 25 Aug 2021, but its 2 weeks of closure has caused serious backlogs and omittances, re-routes and so on for vessels. Clearing up the current backlogs is estimated to take at least several weeks.
OceanFreight Updates on Ningbo Port
1. Meishan terminal resumes operation from 25 Aug 2021.
2. All authorities and parties shall make arrangements for resumption as well as COVID-19 prevention and control. Priority should be given to retained containers and/or haulage truckers. Workers should be assigned to the positions in order so that operations can be resumed in order.
3. All authorities and parties are to pay attention to environmental hygiene and conduct disinfection.
4. In order to avoid congestion due to a rush for gate-in after opening, all parties are to organize staggered delivery to keep traffic smooth.
5. Continue to enforce the following regulations for personnel at checkpoints: wearing of face masks, temperature monitoring, health code identification and travel tracking identification.
Railway
1. Due to confirmed COVID-19 cases found in Xinjiang province, the congestion at Alashakou is worsening and operations have slowed severely, with nearly 50 trains in queue.
2 For cross-border trucking through Alashankou, the Khorgos and Buktu borders in Xinjiang province are closed until further notice.
3. There is still a serious shortage of empty containers, especially in the southern and eastern regions of China.
4. Borders at Brest in Belarus and Mala in Poland are also facing the same situation, with severe congestion and lengthy delays in rail transportation.
5. Train and truck drivers in Germany are currently on strike until 25 Aug 2021. No activities can be arranged during this period, worsening the current situation.
AirFreight Updates
Due to new COVID-19 cases at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), one of China's largest airports, there are massive delays in airfreight cargo departing China.
Chinese authorities have largely suspended cargo handling operations at PVG. Multiple cargo freighter operators and PCF cargo flights are cancelled and continue to be cancelled.
Impact to operations:
1. Due to insufficient handling agents to build and load cargo, there are massive delays in recovery of the freight and loading onto the aircrafts.
2. Recovery times are expected to be at 5-7 days.
3. Flights have been cancelled to adjust to ground handling manpower.
4. No Fixed Rate bookings available due to cancellations and limited block space.
5. Airlines are not awarding block spaces due to large impact to their flight operations.
6. Due to the backlog, capacity is expected to continue being limited for a period of 2-3 weeks.
7. From the impact to operations at PVG, the schedule of flights ex-airports in inland China (eg. CTU) out of the country via PVG is not stable.
We will post updates as the situation evolves, both on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.
Please be noted that local authorities in Vietnam have decided to tighten the lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong from Monday 23rd of August until 15th of September. Movements in and out of districts will be prohibited and enforced by military, and delivery providers are requested to stop operation in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong. People are instructed to stay at home. We can reasonably expect that manufacturing operations inside Ho Chi Minh City MC and Binh Duong will be severally impacted. New licenses will be issued to enable transport companies to continue operate, although there will be major disruptions until licenses are received.
Impact and Measure
Airfreight
GEODIS’ handling staff are required to obtain travel permits from the Department of Industry and Trade to work at the airport. We have already submitted the necessary documents and are awaiting approval.
Please note the following:
- For Air Export: GEODIS handling staff may not be permitted to work for a day or two (24 August 2021). In this case, all export activities will be suspended until travel permits are approved by the Department of Industry and Trade. For customers, all trucks/drivers/brokers are required to obtain QR codes (for trucks) and travel permits.
- For Air Import: Customers are required to apply for travel permits to be able to receive cargo in the airport.
Oceanfreight
Terminal and port activities are operating as per normal. However, there is a large amount of containers being stored at Cat Lai as a result of companies ceasing operations due to COVID-19.
Goods arriving at Cai Mep will only be barged to Cat Lai if the consignee confirms with the shipping line to receive the goods within 2 days at Cat Lai. Otherwise, goods will be kept at Cai Mep until further notice.
Ocean Export and Import Operation
Handling staff must obtain travel permits from the Department of Industry and Trade to be able to enter the ocean terminal to load goods for export shipping or to clear cargo for import shipping.
GEODIS Warehouse Closure
The GEODIS Warehouse at the following location is closed:
• Address: Warehouse No.1, TBS Tan Van, DT743 Street, Binh Thang Ward, Di An, Binh Duong Province.
• Duration: From Friday 20th of August 2021 until further notice. Reopening is expected within 2 weeks.
We will post updates as the situation evolves, both on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.
Airfreight:
All airports in China are operating under Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) guidelines to prevent imported cases via people or cargo.
1. Obtaining permission to enter airport work areas for import/export onsite services is increasingly complex.
2. All the freighters or passenger freighters belong to these carriers below have been required to stop all operations starting from 20th august today morning around 06:00 hours local time, till further notice.
5Y / AA / AC /BR / CA /CX /ET /EY /GA / HU /LD/ NZ / PO/ QR/SU /SV / WS
3. All the staff in terminals in PVG calling CK terminal (China Cargo Airlines Terminal) and PACTL (Shanghai Pudong Int'l Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd) have been requested to undergo nucleic acid testing immediately , the CK and PACTL terminals are still open, but the productivity largely constrained. Most of the carriers have asked forwarders to stop the hand-over of cargo to terminals, considering the potential serious congestion in coming days.
4. All the forwarders have stopped the clearance and cargo receiving at the CFS, till the confirmation from carriers that the upcoming booked flights will operate with certainty.
5. Inbound and outbound workers at terminals are not allowed to travel.
6. The disinfection/ sanitisation processes on tarmac and terminal warehouses, plus quarantine rules that vary from a 7+7+7 cycle (referring to days spent at work and in dorms, on-site quarantine and home quarantine respectively) to a 14+7+7 cycle for front-line workers, have created a large backlog of inbound cargo. This is especially severe at busy airports, namely PEK and PVG. Delays in distribution ranges from 2-3 days to 5-7 days, this is an increase from the week before.
7. The slower operations for inbound flights subsequently affects outbound flights.
8. A considerable number of outbound flights originating from China gateway airports have been cancelled.
9. Nanjing Airport is still closed.
Ocean Freight:
• Yangzhou City is closed and ocean freight operations have been severely impacted. Shipments exported from the Yangzhou barge port have to ship out from alternative ports (such as Nanjing, Taizhou or Shanghai), if the factories who have outbound cargo, have within their own capability to process container loads.
• Nanjing barge port operations have resumed as normal.
• Operations at the seaports in North China (TAO, TSN, DLC) are able to be carried out with little impact.
• A phased re-opening of Meishan terminal at Ningbo port began on 18 August 2021, focusing on easing the backlog that includes inbound containers remaining in the CY and vessels waiting at the berth. Empty pickup and laden container gate-in will not restart until 25 August 2021. Full resumption of operations is estimated to be on 1 September 2021.
• As per previous communications, all crew members on inbound vessels are tested for COVID-19 via nucleic acid tests, leading to outbound delays or omittance.
Rail Freight:
• Alashankou City is locked down due to the 3 confirmed COVID-19 cases found in Xinjiang Province. This has severely affected rail operations at the border, with about 50 trains in queue to date, and heavy congestion at Alashankou.
• Cross-border trucking through Alashankou, Khogos and Buktu borders is now suspended in Xinjiang Province until further notice.
• There remains a serious shortage of empty containers in the south and northeast regions in China.
• Operators at most rail terminals in China are facing labor shortages due to quarantine rules. The congestion has led to a cargo delay of approximately 1-2 weeks. There is also difficulty in arranging CFS de-vanning and picking up of laden containers from outside the ports.
Per the information received from the Ningbo-Zhoushan port authority, the Meishan Port will be reopening in accordance with the following process:
1. The Meishan terminal has resumed operations from 2300hrs on 18 August 2021, on vessels that are already in the port and waiting to be called. The current turnover ability is 3,000 containers per day.
2. The gate-in processing of laden containers and the pick-up services for empty containers have yet to be resumed.
3. The terminal is expected to resume all export/import services effective 25 August 2021.
4. From 1 September 2021, the overall operations in Meishan terminal will be restored.
Also note that 160,000 TEUs of empty containers could not arrive at Ningbo due to most vessels skipping Meishan terminal. As a result, we expect the problem of equipment shortage will worsen in the coming months.
We will continue to post updates as the situation evolves, both on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.
Meidong Container Terminal Ltd is located in Ningbo’s Meishan bonded area, which has a 7m teu annual capacity. Meishan is one of Ningbo’s newest and largest terminals, used regularly by Ocean Alliance members Cosco, CMA CGM and Evergreen.
The most immediately affected trade lanes are as follows:
To/from India, Pakistan, Korea, Australia, UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands,
Scandinavia, Canada, US East Coast, and LATAM.
The closure of CFS in Meishan will also result in congestion in the other CFS in Ningbo.
In addition, we expect the following:
1. Containers already gated in Meishan will have to remain at the terminal until it is reopened.
2. Vessels with planned calls to Meishan will be delayed, with some carriers expected to skip Meishan until the situation clears.
3. The Meishan port closure will cause congestion in other ports.
4. The space situation in Ningbo will worsen.
The other terminals of Ningbo port remain operational as per normal.
We will post updates as the situation evolves, both on our website geodis.com as well as on LinkedIn.