Covid panic and delays at Shanghai Airport as cargo

  • February 21, 2021 8:03 PM PST
    Shanghai’s Pudong Airport reportedly descended into chaos on Sunday
    evening after two cargo handlers tested positive, and went into lockdown
    as nearly 18,000 other staff were tested.To get more [url=https://www.shine.cn]latest Shanghai news[/url], you can visit shine news official website.



    Hundreds of flights were cancelled, according to Reuters, and videos
    were posted on social media of apparently frightened passengers
    attempting to flee the airport.According to local media, Chinese health
    officials claimed the cargo workers, employees of Fedex and UPS, were
    “cleaning a cargo container from North America”. It was not carrying
    cold chain cargo, however, as in August, when authorities said traces of
    the virus were found on imported frozen food.



    Geodis told customers yesterday: “All cargo terminals have been shut
    down and all cargo operations were obliged to stop over the weekend.
    Import handling is progressing, but with expected delays.



    Airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Cabo Verde, Lufthansa,
    Nippon Airways, Polar Air Cargo and Air China, had flights impacted by
    the lockdown, Geodis added, noting that local authorities had requested
    all ULDs to be disinfected upon arrival.



    However, there are mixed reports on the extent of the disruption to
    flights, with the Chinese state media claiming Monday’s flights were
    unaffected.And one forwarder told The Loadstar: “There was a small
    disruption Sunday night and a few flights got cancelled, but other
    airports like Hefei, Zhengzhou and Nanjing absorbed the tonnage.”



    Nevertheless, other forwarders said the incident was still
    unfolding.“Today another worker tested positive, which resulted in a
    third terminal with restricted access,” said Marco Reichel, APAC
    business development director at Crane Worldwide Logistics.



    “We expect delays in the coming days as workers have to take tests
    and cargo needs to be disinfected on arrival.”Indeed, according to Scan
    Global Logistics, a new negative-test regulation will come into effect
    tomorrow.“Pick-up drivers, courier staff and agents who wish to enter
    the PVG bonded warehouse must have a valid negative test report, ” noted
    SGL.



    Meanwhile, ocean carriers continue to implement congestion
    surcharges on reefer cargo heading to Tianjin, due to Covid inspections
    by the port’s customs authorities. The checks have massively slowed
    inbound operations, according to carriers such as MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and
    ONE, which have all announced surcharges of $1,000 or more.