Yantian, the main port of Shenzhen in Southern China near Hong Kong, is partially closed due to a recent Covid outbreak. It was reported that five crew members aboard a container ship docked there have tested positive for the virus. As a result, the port has been temporarily closed and it is not receiving export containers outgoing from Yantian for the period from May 25th through May 27th.

Following strict protocols, all terminal workers and citizens in the Yantian District are required to undergo Covid testing for 7 consecutive days.

This is causing another port slowdown in the region. “With insufficient on-duty staff, business operations inevitably are slowing down,” said Ray Ho, Worldwide Logistics Group’s General Manager in South China.

In addition, laden inspections have stopped periodically because of space limitations to store laden containers at the terminal. Traffic in the Yantian area is heavily congested with the average queuing time at Yantian Port taking approximately 9 to 12 hours.

Truckers have been queued up and on standby for immediate delivery once the port opens.

According to Mr. Ho, the temporary closure has no effect on WWL bookings and shipments because vendors have been notified in advance, to pick up empty containers.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and report back any further developments.