As the world’s largest container port, Shanghai has entered an 8-day blockade period since March 28. It is expected that this will bring a new wave of serious shocks and impacts to the global shipping and logistics industry. In exchanges with industry insiders, they said that the lockdown will directly lead to chaos in the shipping and logistics industry of Shanghai Port in the short term. In the long run, it will cause congestion, delays and rising freight costs, which will make the logistics costs that are already operating at a high level continue to rise.
Judging from the current situation, it is certain that many goods cannot be transported to Shanghai Port, as planned, in the short term. After the lifting of lockdown in April, volumes of exported goods may be stuck at the port, and the seaborne price will inevitably usher in a new round of price rises. According to importer Mr. Li, the large shipment period will not start until the second or third week of April, when the crisis of container shortages will strike again.
He said that people had expected that the government would take additional precautionary measures against the epidemic, but this time the lockdown of Shanghai was unexpected. Goods cannot be shipped the way they are supposed to be, and such changes will cause a great disruption to shipping.
In addition, it is worth noting that the Pudong, Punan and adjacent areas that have begun to be closed and controlled at this stage are not only the areas. It is not only an area where warehouses and logistics enterprises are concentrated in Shanghai but also the only way to the core port area of Shanghai – Yangshan International Deepwater Port, which is undoubtedly very unfavorable for logistics and transportation.
