New Northeast Asia Empty Container Center Opens

Shanghai’s largest port located at Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone in Shanghai, in an effort to ease the container shortage, announced on August 10 the launch of a new empty container transportation center.

The new container hub was officially launched by Shanghai International Port (Group) Co (SIPG), one of China’s biggest ports and a collection of various shipping companies including Maersk, CMA and Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Frustration with increased US port congestion has caused the shortage of container shipping to turn into a growing problem for shippers, with a consequence that global supply chains are being affected when factories in China face the risk of not being able to ship to clients in the US and Europe.

Media reports state that the opening of the empty container transportation center will provide maintenance services for empty containers, as well as help the overall efficiency of containers that are waiting to be loaded.

Experts from the shipping industry say that the opening will help relieve congestion at North American ports, particularly during the peak shipping season, because it could slow the flow of empty containers returning to Asia and, in some cases, make it more difficult to transport containers.