Import Delays Compounded by Lockdown and Cyclone in Asia

The holiday season is looking bleak for some shippers. Already dealing with high shipping costs and lack of capacity, some companies will feel the impact of Asian port closures from tropical cyclone Kompasu and the lockdown in Vietnam.

China’s Yantian port in Shenzhen suspended pick-up and drop-off of containers last week because of the tropical storm, causing the number of ships waiting outside the port to rise to 67, the most since the port was closed in August due to a coronavirus outbreak.¹ Average transport times from Shanghai to destination warehouses are 10.5 days higher than two years ago. Meanwhile, the recent lockdowns in Vietnam have caused transport times to increase by 9 days on average.²

As you plan your import shipments from Asia, please be aware of the circumstances that are adding to lead times.

Sources:
1. Cyclone Closes One of World’s Busiest Ports, Creating Ship Traffic Jam, Bloomberg, Oct 11, 2021. Accessed Oct 18, 2021.
2. Import woes continue into holiday season, Inside Logistics, October 13, 2021. Accessed Oct 18, 2021.