DACHSER at Air Cargo India 2020

Lockdown in Shanghai: impact on operational activities

Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in China, there is an impact on international air and sea freight traffic as well as the domestic transport sector.

Overview

• Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Shanghai, the city will be locked down starting 5 a.m. Monday, March 28, 2022 in order to contain the spread of the pandemic.
• A lockdown will be carried out in two phases: From March 28 until April 1, restrictions will apply to Pudong, the eastern side of Shanghai, and from April 1 to April 5, the same restrictions will apply to Puxi, the western side of the city.
• During the lockdown period, measures will be taken, including massive COVID-19 testing, suspension of public transport, shutdown of stores, halting production and business activities, and employees will only be allowed to work from home.

Impact on logistics

• Air and sea ports remain open and operational.
• Shortage of manpower remains an issue in all sectors due to strict quarantine regulations, especially for freight-related personnel, who have to present a 48-hours negative test report when entering highways, warehouses and ports.
• For air freight, the lockdown impacts the PVG gateway for both import and export. The import Gateway is operational and flights continue to land at the airport. Export flights out of PVG are restricted, the export Gateway is closed and handover is suspended. DACHSER is working on planning new flight schedules through alternative airports. The restrictions are expected to last for 7-14 days. Land transport is restricted as well.
• For sea freight, DACHSER has not yet received any carrier announcements about vessel delays or cancellations. Cargo arrived at CFS within the Pudong area is not affected, but shipments could be delayed due to potential vessel changes or insufficient cargo for consolidation. FCL trucks are allowed to enter Pudong and the port area with a 48-hours negative test report and an electronic Equipment Interchange Receipt (EIR). LTL trucking is yet to have any development.
• Trucking between Shanghai and neighbouring cities is restricted to drivers who can present a 48-hours negative test report. Delays in pickups and deliveries are expected.
• Customs operations are currently reported normal with no interruption.
• DACHSER's locations in Shanghai, including the downtown office and the PVG Airport office, have implemented a work-from-home policy since March 21, while the Huaqiao Warehouse remains open but loading and pickup is restricted. You can reach your local contact through the usual communication channels.

Local representatives at DACHSER will be happy to provide information about shipments and possible alternatives.

Short update on the general situation in the transport sector

In the second half of the year, the corona pandemic is still the predominant topic in the media. While at the beginning of the pandemic new findings on Covid-19 were being announced almost daily and many updates were also published by DACHSER on loading restrictions in Europe as well as in America and APAC, something like a "new normality" has now returned.

At the moment, there are no longer any universal country or customer restrictions. We would therefore like to ask our customers to clarify individual restrictions such as closures, changed opening hours etc. with the recipients of the goods themselves. We are closely monitoring the further course of the corona pandemic and will keep you informed immediately of any developments. Should new loading restrictions be imposed, these will be published again via our website.

If you have any questions on this subject, please contact your local contact person at the respective DACHSER branch.