Several countries are introducing Covid-19 testing and other measures for travellers from China, even though the virus is already circulating widely within their borders. “It is extremely disappointing to see this knee-jerk reinstatement of measures that has proven ineffective over the last three years. Governments should listen to the advice of experts, including the WHO, that advise against travel restrictions,” feels Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.
China continues to see fall in freight rates following lockdown
“The supply chain is already in distress with a surplus of containers, maxed out depot space and an increase in blank sailings. The Zero covid strategy and the geopolitical and trade risks in China will further contribute to the drop in demand for containers in China,” said Christian Roeloffs, Co-Founder and CEO, Container xChange. However, it also means that the demand will slowly stabilise and get closer to the level at which it was before the pandemic started, he added.
Carriers continue to blank more sailings in the first weeks of 2023
Drewry, a global maritime research and consulting service provider, says across the major trades, 149 cancelled (ship) sailings have been announced between January 9 - February 12, out of a total of 707 scheduled sailings, representing 21 per cent cancellation rate. During this period, 58 per cent of the blank sailings will be occurring in the Trans Pacific East-bound, 31 per cent on Asia, North Europe and Mediterranean and 11 per cent on the Trans Atlantic West-bound trade.