Cargo hit by Shanghai lockdown as civil unrest grows

Shipping companies are still experiencing considerable congestion at the Port of Shanghai following the lockdown measures undertaken by the local authorities.

Maersk, CMA CGM, and MSC are amongst the companies who have reported major disruption in trucking movements velocity and available trucking capacities.

Slower pick up times and excessively stretched dwell time on import cargo have resulted in high stress on yard plug capacities.

Reefer containers have been impacted the most as very limited power source is available at the Shanghai terminals.

The companies have urged customers to identify re-rerouting options to prevent last-minute discharging issues and delays that may cause damage to their cargo.

Maersk announced in a customer advisory: “Due to the impact of the lockdown, we have seen an increased yard density for dangerous goods and reefer containers in Shanghai terminals. We recommend customers, when possible, to ship or divert the cargo to other Chinese destinations or other markets in order to avoid the congested port. There is a possibility that cargo arriving in Shanghai is being diverted to alternative location.”

The city of Shanghai began its two-stage lockdown on 28 March and warehouses were meant to remain closed until 1 April.

Restrictions were further extended due to rising cases of COVID-19 and, under the new measures, the lockdown was intended to last until 11 April.

Millions of people have now taken to the streets as the lockdown remains in place.


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People in Shanghai have complained that the lockdown was imposed in a chaotic way, stunted by the lack of food and essential supplies.

Some 25,000 new cases of the Omicron variant have been reported on 11 April, bringing the total to 200,000 cases since the beginning of March.

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