• The coronavirus pandemic has left approximately 200,000 merchant sailors stranded at sea.
• A cyclone took grains loaders at Paranagua Port offline for a few days last week.
• Customs clearance times at some major Chinese ports have tripled as more intensive testing of meat, seafood, and other products for coronavirus continues.

What Has Been Going On? 

Closed Borders Leave 200,000 Merchant Sailors Stuck at Sea

• The coronavirus has left approximately 200,000 merchant sailors stranded at sea.
• Many of the trapped have been away for over a year, due to the financial turmoil the pandemic has caused.
• The Maritime Labour Convention limits time at sea to 11 months.

Cyclone Knocks Paranagua’s Grain Loaders Offline

• Last Tuesday, a cyclone passed over Southern Brazil and took grains loaders at Paranagua Port offline for a few days.
• This power outage could potential derail expectations that the weak currency and Chinese demand would push corn and soybean exports higher in the third quarter.

Some Chinese Ports are Jammed Again Due to Food Testing 

• Customs clearance times at some major Chinese ports have tripled as meat, seafood and other products are tested for coronavirus.

South African Truck Drivers’ Strike Slows Port Activity

• Truck drivers in South Africa have been protesting against the employment of immigrants.
• There have been reports of trucks being set on fire by counter-protesters.
• Productivity at ports remains impacted as the strikes continue.

Belgium’s Port of Antwerp Starts to See First Signs of Recovery

• The Port of Antwerp is seeing the first signs of recovery having faced disruption during the peak of the COVID outbreak.
• Despite this, it still expects a flurry of blank sailings this quarter.

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.