• Storms in South Africa caused containers to go overboard last week.
• The same storms limited vessel movement in and out of Cape Town.
• Elsewhere, some Chinese and US ports have seen notable increases in their container volumes so far in July.

What’s Been Going On? 

MSC Loses Containers Overboard Near Port Elizabeth

• An investigation is underway into the loss of containers that fell overboard from an MSC container ship in the waters near Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• There were also fears that the loss was creating a hazard to navigation into the port area. 
• The vessel reported that it had lost a number of containers overboard in a storm. However, they reported that no dangerous cargo was lost overboard.

Storms Limit Vessel Activity Both in and Out of Cape Town

• Stormy weather and rough sea conditions caused nine-metre swells, limiting vessel movement in and out of Cape Town.
• The three storms battered the landscape and caused freezing conditions and snowfall on the mountains.

China’s Container Volumes Increase

• Container volumes at eight major Chinese ports increased by 3.4% year-on-year in early July.
• The export container volumes at Xiamen Port reported a year-on-year increase of 1.5%, whilst Guangzhou Port report growth of over 10%.

The Port of Oakland Sees Increased Loaded Import Volumes

• The Port of Oakland reported an increase in loaded import volumes in June.
• It has faced significant cargo declines since the start of the pandemic, but the current increase has reversed those trends.
• Their loaded import volume grew by 1.9% in June.

The Global Logistics Tracker

• This new interactive map allows you to receive information on the restrictions countries are currently facing due to the coronavirus.
• It gets updated on a weekly basis to coincide with this update and help you visualise the logistical situation globally.
• To try it out now, simply follow this link.