Congestion problems almost everywhere, with serious difficulties registered in the ports of Ningbo, China, Rotterdam and Hamburg. The operational update provided by Hapag Lloyd last Friday leaves no room for doubt: anyone who believes that the situation is gradually improving should think again. Taking stock of the situation is the CEO of Vespucci Maritime, Lars Jensen, in a post published on Linkedin a few days ago.
Quoting data from Hapag Lloyd, Jensen points out that most terminals in Ningbo are currently congested. Not only that, but possible monsoons could also hit the port’s quays over the next few days, forcing it to temporarily closedown.
At Yantian port , the strict COVID-19 control and prevention measures are causing severe slowdowns and inefficiencies in ship loading and unloading operations.
In Shekou, the 24-hour harbour pilot service may not be guaranteed due to restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid.
The port of Singapore is completely overflowing with containers, the yard density has in fact reached 80%, while in Antwerp a manpower shortage problem is looming due to the summer holidays.
Congestion problems are also being reported in Rotterdam due to the spread of Covid. A number of defections were reported among dockworkers over the last few days. The ECT Delta Terminal and the Rotterdam World Gateway have stopped accepting empty containers, while at the DDE Terminal the yard density has reportedly reached 85%.
In Hamburg, negotiations between companies and workers for the renewal of the contract are having a negative impact on the availability of labour. Due to the strike last week, waiting times for ships have increased.
A series of problems have also been reported in Ecuador and Costa Rica, where a hacker attack on the government’s customs computer system created great tension and numerous delays in cargo loading and unloading operations.
Translation by Giles Foster
