The COVID-19 pandemic prompted strict restrictions to be reintroduced in China’s Ningbo, home to one of the world’s busiest container ports. Industry sources said the measure had restricted truck entries into the port areas. Meanwhile, some container freight stations have suspended operations due to roadblocks and other restrictions in the Beilun District, where a string of large container terminals is located.
Ningbo recorded 26 locally-transmitted cases in Beilun on January 4. Most of them were reported from workers of garment company Shenzhou International. Beilun is one of the 19 areas of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Local authorities said it would allow truckers to enter the locked areas to ensure smooth logistics operations. However, only about 6,000 of more than 20,000 local container truck drivers had received special permits as of Monday.
In addition, truckers trapped inside the locked areas could not apply for the passes. Truck drivers were also reluctant to enter Beilun and other affected areas as they could be subject to quarantine measures in other cities. Some factories and warehouses have also suspended picking up and delivering cargo amid the restrictions.
The disruption has sparked concerns over worsening congestion in the region’s ports, which are already facing pilot shortages due to separate COVID-19 outbreaks in other cities along the Yangtze River. Ship-tracking data showed 120 vessels were waiting at anchor off the Shanghai and Ningbo-Zhoushan ports on January 4. This is higher than the queue in August 2021, when a major terminal in Ningbo was closed for several weeks due to a dock worker being infected.
