Medium-sized ports around Shanghai, including those at Taicang and Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu province, saw a surging volume of transshipment to Shanghai in March, since many neighboring cities adopted strict anti-Covid measures for truck drivers going to and coming from Shanghai due to the city’s lockdown, said forwarders and Customs officials. Even though Shanghai International Port Group, the operator of Shanghai port, announced that its daily throughput had remained around 140,000 TEU in March, getting containers into the city has become a challenge for truck drivers as many neighboring cities restrict travel to and from Shanghai. These cities, especially in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, have been requiring truck drivers from Shanghai to have tests at expressway exits or even quarantine for 14-days in designated hotels.
To resolve the shortage of truck drivers and prevent logistical delays, Taicang port has been helping export-oriented companies in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, ship containers to ports in Shanghai via waterway. This has effectively ensured the smooth transportation of exports for domestic manufacturers, said Wei Wei, head of logistics management at Taicang Customs, a branch of Nanjing Customs. The Taicang-Shanghai waterway transshipment service has transported a total of 59,000 TEU, containing goods such as electronic products and auto parts, to Shanghai in March, soaring 68% on a yearly basis.
Once cleared by Taicang Customs, they can be shipped along the waterway in between four and six hours to Yangshan port, Waigaoqiao port and Wusong port in Shanghai. Costs of water transportation and truck delivery to Shanghai’s Yangshan port were previously similar, but land transport was typically faster. At present, due to anti-epidemic measures, road transport has lost its advantage of speed, while it is hard to find available truck drivers. Customers have to pay between CNY1,000 and CNY2,000 in additional fees to truck drivers. Luo Jinsong, Manager at Taicang Port International Transportation Co, said many cities along the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze river – such as Chongqing and Wuhan – also have opted to transfer their goods to Shanghai via Taicang. The company handled 2,000 TEU in March, registering a record high, the China Daily reports.
