Extraordinary images show mass marine congestion off the east coast of Shanghai and around its port, amid the city’s harsh COVID lockdown and fears of its financial impact.
The battered supply chain is facing another hurdle as China’s financial capital is under strict coronavirus lockdowns.
Shanghai is under 24-hour lockdown procedures to contain a coronavirus outbreak, leaving most of the city’s 25 million people stuck in their homes. That means manufacturing sites and ports are unable to maintain the output of goods vital to pieces of America’s economy.
The marine traffic off the coast of Shanghai’s port follows concerns over the impact of the lockdown on global supply chains.
The industrial city, which is one of the world’s busiest ports, is under a harsh lockdown with millions of people banned from leaving their homes and relying on the government to deliver food.
Images taken from the MarineTraffic website, which tracks the live positions of a range of vessels in international waters, show huge queues around the Port of Shanghai with thousands of ships and vessels trying to manoeuvre.
The green dots pictured above are cargo vessels in transit, whilst the red dots represent tankers.
The clusters around the port and off the coast of the city, which is home to China’s financial hub, show concentrated groups of vessels, versus shipping routes at the same time pictured further north of the country.
Experts have raised concerns about the impact of the Shanghai lockdown on global supply chains, particularly regarding delays and increased costs.
The Port of Shanghai continues to operate normally under a ‘closed loop’ system where it is sealed off from the city, but there have been difficulties with trucks entering and exiting, leading to delays.
