Ningbo detour in full swing
It is just one of 19 terminals - but Ningbo Meidong Container Terminal is the one in Ningbo, the world's third-busiest box port. Usually, the terminal handles about one quarter of the port’s container cargo.
Operations at Ningbo Meishan port terminal were suspended on 11 August 2021, after a single case of Covid-19 was reported among the terminal's staff.
All inbound and outbound container operations at Meishan terminal in Ningbo-Zhoushan port have been redirected to other terminals since Wednesday morning until further notice.
According to data from Chicago-based maritime analyst Project 44, the average number of weekly port calls to Ningbo went down by 70%, from nearly 200 container vessels to less than 60 in the course of last week.
Large carriers are rescheduling their loops - and, moreover, initiating blank sailings to and from the port. Project 44 has recorded 37 blank sailings since 13 August. In mainland China, this is the second shutdown of a major Chinese port after the recent Yantian Port closure in Shenzhen. (cd)