No end in sight for Shanghai’s lockdown

China’s most-populous city has yet to give an indication of when lockdown measures will lift, fuelling greater uncertainty for those involved in global logistics.

Citywide mass testing identified 19,982 cases

Shanghai’s daily Covid-19 infections set a record for the sixth straight day on Thursday, as citywide mass testing identified 19,982 cases in China’s financial and commercial hub.

EU Chamber of Commerce in China members estimated yesterday that Shanghai port volumes are down by about 40% week-on-week, despite the port’s operator insisting that it is business as usual at Yangshan and Waigaoqiao thanks to a bubble working environment at the quayside.

193m people are now in lockdown across China

The issue, as has repeatedly been stressed since the lockdown came in 11 days ago, is down to limited trucking availability and the shuttering of many factories and warehouses. Many of the entry and exit points on the highways between provinces are also blocked causing severe supply chain issues.

Cargo volumes through the port tracked by FourKites, a supply chain data firm, had dropped by about a third since March 12 as shippers reroute freight elsewhere.

Trucking availability is significantly disrupted

“The indefinite extension of the Shanghai lockdown is causing a significant slowdown of operations at the city’s major air and ocean ports due to laborshortages as well as a drop in the availability of goods as manufacturing and warehouses close, and trucking availability is significantly disrupted,” an update from online freight platform Freightos earlier this week stated.

The lockdowns are taking their toll on the national economy.