Vietnam supply chain dislocation worsens as soaring cases of Covid-19 are seeing ships back up in greater numbers along Vietnam’s southern coastline, while ports are now turning away vessels and are struggling to source available containers.
Ho Chi Minh City’s Cat Lai Terminal has stopped accepting reefer cargoes through to the middle of the month as it has no available space left in its facility.
Much of Vietnam has been in lockdown for nearly a month, with port productivity dropping and ships queueing for berth space south of Vung Tau. Many ports are now working with just 50% of their workforce. A drop in the number of available truck drivers has made the situation worse, while factory output has slumped in recent weeks.
The troubled ports situation is spreading north too. Last week, the government took the decision to lock down the port of Quy Nhon in the central region of the country, where a larger Covid outbreak had been detected. The outer anchorages at Haiphong in the north of the country are especially busy at the moment too, which all contribute to a growing supply chain dislocation in Vietnam.