Cargo through mixed border crossings in China is still limited

At the mixed checkpoints in the Far Eastern Federal District, freight traffic has so far been limited, Yuri Ladygin, head of the Far Eastern Customs Directorate, told Logirus. We are talking about the checkpoints Blagoveshchensk, Poyarkovo, Amurzet, Nizhneleninsky and Pokrovka.

At the railway checkpoints, freight traffic is carried out in accordance with the established procedure, in automobile checkpoints, transportation has been resumed from February 3, sea transport is still operating normally, they added to the DVTU.

“In addition, the Rosselkhoznadzor introduced a ban until March 1 on the import and transit through the Russian Federation of exotic and decorative animals, insects, fish and aquatic animals from China,” Yuri Ladygin explained.

According to Reuters, China's ports remain open. However, their work is difficult because many employees are quarantined at home. For the same reason, warehouses around the docks also partially do not function. This led to the withdrawal of ships from China to the harbor of South Korea. Busan, for example, has already been loaded with containers by 78%, and there are delays in processing them, a source told Reuters. If the load level exceeds 80%, it will become difficult to manage the port effectively, the port representative added.

American shipping consultant John Monroe, whose company operates in China, is confident that when the outbreak of the coronavirus subsides, there will be a rush to deliver goods to and from China. Which will create even more logistical problems.

According to the forecasts of the shipping consulting company Alphaliner, the prolonged New Year holidays in China and the epidemic will reduce the turnover of Chinese ports, including Hong Kong, by more than 6 million TEU.

“The closure of China, as a global manufacturing center, affects container transportation in general, as it is vital for domestic and global supply chains,” Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at BIMCO, told CNN Business.

More ships are idle in “floating quarantine zones”. Since countries such as Australia and Singapore refuse ship calls to ships that previously visited China, until all team members are checked for symptoms of coronavirus infection, the CNN Business source added.

About "serious interruptions in air cargo and rail traffic" to China and vice versa recently announced the German logistics group DHL. UPS and FedEx Express (FDX) said they continue to fly to and from China. However, UPS noted a decrease in demand in this area.