Cargo flow at the major coastal ports in China is beginning to normalize and business operations have now entered the recovery phase, French container shipping major CMA CGM said in an advisory on coronavirus impact.
As informed, manufacturing activities in mainland China are gradually picking up, and more port workers and truck drivers are returning to their posts.
The news comes amid declining numbers of new cases of coronavirus infections in China.
As such, the World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed careful monitoring of the phased lifting of the current restrictions on movement and public gatherings. The lifting of quarantine measures is beginning with the return of workers and migrant labor, followed by the eventual reopening of schools and lifting other measures.
“The CMA CGM Group strives to better support our customers as their business activities recover without compromising the health and well-being of our staff and partners in China.
“Starting from March 2nd, 2020, alternate teams of employees will be deployed at our offices at different work schedules. Employees working from home during designated hours will continue to provide services on a remote basis, the company said.....MORE
“CMA CGM Group remains fully committed to complying with any regulatory requirements and policies aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19.”
All of the Chinese ports, apart from Wuhan, have remained open during the outbreak. However, they have been operating at a reduced capacity amid staff shortages arising from travel restrictions and quarantine measures....
And from Reuters a couple days earlier:
China's top container ports unclog backlog as virus curbs ease
February 26, 2020
China’s top container ports are loosening the backlog of cargoes on their docks as workers return to their jobs after coronavirus travel curbs that kept them away and jammed up global supply chains have been eased.
The flu-like epidemic, which originated in the city of Wuhan, an inland logistics hub in Hubei province, has killed more that 2,700 and infected over 78,000 in China alone, and caused massive port congestion due to labor shortages caused by city lockdowns across the country.
China is the largest container cargo handler - processing around 30% of global traffic or around 715,000 containers a day in 2019 - and the virus clampdown impacted supply chains of everything from sneakers and machine parts to technology components and food items.
Executives from U.S. poultry processor Sanderson Farms Inc (SAFM.O) said on an earnings call on Thursday that operations at China’s ports were slowly getting back to normal and most of its shipments have been delivered. The company has shipped or received orders from Chinese buyers for about 18 million pounds of chicken products since Beijing lifted a ban on imports of U.S. poultry late last year. .......MUCH MORE
