The China New Year holiday extension which was implemented because of the Coronavirus outbreak has now ended.
However, with many workers unable or unwilling to return to work, there are still severe logistical complications for container shipping and it is not possible to begin the catch-up process as yet.
All major shipping lines have increased the number of blank sailings in the region and it appears that they will continue to do so.
The automotive industry has already been hit with Hyundai announcing that it will suspend production in South Korea, due to a lack of spare parts.
While this time of year usually leads to a slowdown of freight, the Coronavirus outbreak is expected to further reduce cargo volumes significantly.
With blank sailings and flight cancellations expected to continue until at least mid-March, cargo volume will continue to be impacted for some time to come.
