Upward trend in hinterland traffic confirmed
Good news from the international association of ports and harbours WPSP Covid-19 task which has released its fourteenth report since April and the initial global outbreak of Covid-19, based on the data of 73 world ports.
The most significant result of the survey is the consistent uptick in delays on the intermodal connections between ports and the hinterlands. November seems to present a turning point. While in October none of the ports were reporting delays (6-24 hours) or heavy delays (> 24 hours) in cross-border road transportation, this figure bounced up to 16.3% in November (week 45).
The situation is also deteriorating for trucks arriving or leaving the port: in October 94% of ports reported normal activity, while in November, this figure is down to 86%. Some 14.6% of ports face disruptions in rail services, up from the record low figure of 4.9% in October (week 41).
The situation for barge services is also going in the same direction: this month 83% of ports are reporting normal operations compared to 96% last month. This trend goes along with an increase in utilisation of warehousing and distribution facilities for foodstuffs and medical supplies. This figure went up from 17% in week 41 to 20% in week 45 for foodstuffs and medical supplies. The same percentage and percentage rise also applied for consumer goods.
One silver lining is that cargo volume throughputs for containers, bulk and liquid bulk have firmed up in equal measure. A majority of ports reported either stable or a rebound of volumes for all three markets compared to volumes for September and October last year. Let's keep fingers crossed that the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 will affect the ports less than during the first wave. (cd)