Containers pile up in Shanghai port on China’s Covid lockdowns

The strictest Covid-19 lockdown in China since the pandemic began has resulted in container goods sitting at Shanghai’s port for nearly two weeks, according to supply chain data provider project44.

Imported containers are waiting on average for 12.1 days before they are picked up by truck and delivered to destinations inland, according to p44’s data for April 18. That’s up from 4.6 days on March 28.

Meanwhile, fewer ships are berthing at Shanghai as vessels are diverted in response to reduced truck traffic. The number of vessels has dropped from around 30 a day to just 14 as of April 17, p44 said.

China’s trucking fleet has been caught by the government’s Covid Zero approach to the pandemic, holding up drivers in a web of quarantine controls. That’s led to disruptions to the supply of raw materials for factories, and the pile-up of goods including frozen meat and seafood, which is now rippling through global supply chains.