China's determination to pursue the "zero Covid" strategy is posing an obstacle to the recovery of the shipping industry.
In an effort to stamp out the infection, China maintains a ban on crew substitutions for foreign crews when ships docked in China. Recently, China also introduced a mandatory 7-week quarantine for Chinese sailors returning home. Even the Chinese crews who had been replaced elsewhere had to wait two weeks before being allowed to disembark.
To comply with these regulations, shipowners and ship managers have had to divert vessels, delay deliveries and change crews, further intensifying the global supply chain crisis. "China's restrictions are having a pervasive effect," said Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Shipping Council (ICS), an organization representing ship owners and ship operators worldwide demand, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “Any restriction on vessel operations affects the supply chain and leads to real disruption.”
To date, the shipping industry has generally absorbed the increased costs, thanks to container freight rates that are among the highest in history due to strong demand, limited capacity, and congestion at ports. port. For the weekend ending Nov. 18, the freight rate for a 40-foot container was $9,146, a six-fold increase from the five-year average through 2019. Tanker and dry bulk carrier freight rates also increased similarly.
The shipping lines also acknowledge that they respond to China's restrictions by shifting the burden on the crews working on the ships. Chinese authorities do not allow more than three Chinese sailors to board the same flight to the mainland, so the journey home for Chinese sailors can last for months after they have completed their duties. service and got off the ship,” said Mr. Hojgaard.
Chinese officials recently continued to defend the country's anti-Covid strategy and signaled that it would not ease regulations anytime soon. Meanwhile, the supply chain disruption in the shipping industry shows no sign of abating. According to a survey conducted by Oxford Economics of 148 businesses between October 18-29, nearly 80% said they expect the supply chain crisis to worsen.
"China is determined to eliminate Covid and will not ease restrictions anytime soon," said Mr. Zhang of Singhai Marine
"China may even tighten the rules before hosting the Winter Olympics in February next year."
Australia has made another stride in its agriculture sector by announcing an agreement to export plums to Vietnam in the near future, in addition to the current exports of peaches and nectarines. This project is part of a two-way agricultural market access agreement aimed at providing Australian plums to Vietnam and Vietnamese passion fruit to Australia.
Vietnamese tuna is enjoying many advantages in the UK market thanks to tariff incentives from the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).
International media reports indicate that the container ship congestion at Singapore-one of Asia's busiest ports-has reached its worst level since the pandemic and has now spread to nearby ports like those in Malaysia. This situation poses a risk to the global supply chain and is causing delays in the shipment of goods within the region.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is upon us once again, bringing with it joy and warm moments of reunion.
On August 28, 2024, Glotrans representatives participated in the seminar "The Readiness of Supporting Industries in the Supply Chain for Emerging Technologies" hosted by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade. This event marks a significant step forward in connecting and developing the supporting industry market in Vietnam.
Glotrans would like to inform our valued Customers and Partners about our National Day holiday schedule as follows: The holiday will start from Saturday, August 31, 2024, to the end of Tuesday, September 3, 2024. We will resume work on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
