A Covid-19 flare-up in Shanghai has brought the port city back to square one just eight days after it was released from a two-month closure, prompting fears of further delays in the world’s biggest container port.

After 11 cases were discovered residents in 14 of Shanghai’s 16 districts were told to test for Covid-19 over the weekend (9 June). Residents will be restricted for two days, with testing taking 12 days.

According to Linerlytica expert Tan Hua Joo, the situation in shipping may not be as terrible as it appears. “Clearly, it’s a setback,” he said, “but the damage was lessened in the previous round because goods were able to shift to Ningbo port.”

Calls to Maersk Line’s Shanghai office said that the company’s operations are as per its 1 June advisory, although the Danish giant is minimising office work and continuing to make most staff work from home.

Maersk said that trucking is still available in China’s main ports and nearby cities, providing the drivers test negative for Covid-19, adding that such services gradually improved after the previous outbreak was controlled.

Warehouses in Shanghai resumed normal operations on 1 June, and Maersk staff said that nothing has changed. However, drivers entering the warehouses must test negative for Covid-19 in the 24 hours prior, if they had been outside of Zhejiang province.

Cargoes will not be accepted if drivers have been to the medium-high risk area in the last 14 days.

A spokesperson for Ocean Network Express (ONE) told Container News that the company is not restricting the acceptance of container shipments to and from Shanghai.

Even as many countries are now treating Covid-19 as endemic, China is maintaining a zero-Covid-19 stance.

Today (10 June), Yang Ming disclosed that some crew members on its 4,662 TEU ship YM Essence, serving the Asia-US East Coast route, tested positive for Covid-19 while en route from Kaohsiung to the southern Chinese port of Yantian.

The Taiwanese ocean carrier said, “The affected crews were immediately isolated and necessary measures were taken with crew change in Kaohsiung. The vessel has completed cleaning and sanitisation.” YM Essence arrived and berthed in Yantian on 7 June and departed yesterday, expecting to arrive in Savannah on 25 June.