Dalian is now the latest port city in China to be hit with COVID-19 cases, which could potentially cause more delays to shipping operations as the country continues to implement strict lockdowns.
For now, Dalian’s port operations haven’t been impacted. However as lockdown measures in the city are implemented, there could be delays.
In other Chinese port cities, COVID-19 outbreaks have hurt port operations. One of the biggest issues has been for truck drivers to gain access into the ports. Under the lockdown, they have had difficulty being allowed to leave their homes to travel to the ports. They have also needed to take a COVID test, and get a negative result in order to gain permission to enter the ports. The amount of time it takes for the drivers to finally be allowed in to the ports has caused delays and backlogs with shipping.
The Ningbo-Zhoushan port was the first in China to experience delays this year after there was a Covid outbreak in Ningbo’s Beilun district in the beginning of January. Officials issued passes to allow truck drivers and container vehicles to enter the port. Even though the Ningo-Zhoushan port was said to have completely recovered, there are still significant delays, and many shipments have been rerouted to Shanghai.
In addition to Dalian and Ningbo, the port cities have Tainjin and Shenzhen have also been impacted by COVID since the start of the new year.
China has a “zero-tolerance” COVID policy, and has been implementing tighter lockdowns ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
