China ports volumes trend downwards as lockdowns make impact

Chinese ports have witnessed a dip in volumes over the past few weeks as more cities have imposed lockdowns amid the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

According to the latest data from FourKites, the country’s ports have seen overall dips in import and export ocean shipment.

Volume at the Port of Shanghai has started to decrease since the peak earlier this year, now down 15 per cent from the mid-July figures. The 14-day average ocean shipment volume at Shanghai is now down 5 per cent compared to 12 March (the day before lockdowns went into effect) but is up 3 per cent week-over-week for shipments tracked by FourKites.

Despite few positive signs, other Chinese ports have been trending down. Latest data to 2 September suggests that ‘All Other Chinese Ports’ are trending downwards, witnessing a fall of 30 per cent in change of average shipment volume compared to 13 March figures.

Import and export ocean shipment volumes were bouncing back last month as COVID-19 lockdowns started to ease.

FourKites has seen steady recovery in volume traveling from China to the US, with the 14-day average shipment volume for loads now down only 9 per cent compared to levels seen on 12 March – and down 1 per cent week-over-week.

Delays linger on with the 14-day average percentage of shipments delayed along this lane now at 38 per cent compared to 31 per cent seen before the lockdowns began.

Transit times for ocean loads traveling from China to the US are down from the peak seen near when lockdowns began.

The 60-day average total transit time for these loads is now at 47.2 days, down 15 per cent from the peak in March but still up 7 per cent month-over-month.

Last week, local authorities ordered the stop of all operations at Chinese major ports as Muifa, one of this year’s strongest typhoons, hit the country’s coastal areas on 14 September.