THERE
are signs that shipping operations in China are returning to normal, according to figures from Lloyd's List Intelligence, which show the number of container-related vessel
calls at the major container hub of Shanghai
and Yangshan have picked up and are again tracking figures seen
this time last year.
The figures, which record port
calls by containerships, general cargo vessels with container capacity, con-ro
vessels and container barges, saw a deep fall following the outbreak of
coronavirus and the extended shutdown of factories following the Chinese New
Year celebrations.
Those figures have since
recovered and, despite a downturn in week nine, now stand at an almost
identical level to where they were in week 10 of 2019. There were 394 calls in
week 10 last year and 393 this year, reports UK's Lloyd's List.
CMA
CMG chief executive Rodolphe Saade
said last week he believes the situation in China is already beginning to
recover and exports are rapidly returning to normal as Chinese factory
production recovers.
Mr Saade is forecasting a bounce
in liftings by the end of March, reflecting the need for warehouses in the US
and Europe to be replenished after several weeks of factory closures in China
that have disrupted supply lines and depleted stocks of components, spare parts
and other urgently needed inventories.
The US
west coast ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are expecting a surge in volumes
as China exports resume. Carriers including Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping
Co (MSC) have added extra loaders using some of the largest boxships in the
world, including the 23,756 TEU MSC Mia, the largest ship so far to call at US
west coast ports, to reposition empty containers to China for export.
Nevertheless, the threat remains
that as Europe and the US bring in increasingly severe measures to restrict the
spread of the coronavirus, demand for exported goods may be thwarted.
Source : HKSG.
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