A variant of the Omicron virus is reportedly sweeping cargo ships around the world, raising concerns. A surge in worker cases, coupled with China’s tightening of quarantine requirements for ships, might once more hit supply chains, exacerbating the shipping industry’s woes.
Francesco Gargiulo, chief executive of the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC), which represents shipping companies, said the outbreak was hitting ships worldwide as the number of confirmed cases multiplied.
The Anglo-Eastern Univan Group, which has regarding 16,000 crew members, sees five to seven vessels contracting the virus a month, compared with one or two a month last year. At the same time, Wilhelmsen Ship Management (Wilhelmsen Ship Management) has also reported that four ships have tested positive since January.
Mark O’Neil, chief executive of Columbia Shipmanagement, said: “Every ship has a confirmed case, and the number of ships globally affected by Omicron will definitely increase in the future because of its high contagiousness. Despite the precautionary measures, the That’s still the case.”
Although the outbreak has so far been contained, the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, adding new pressure to supply chains already strained by the outbreak. Ports from Shenzhen and Los Angeles to Rotterdam are still struggling with long queues of container ships, compounded by shortages of port staff and drivers. In addition, strict epidemic prevention restrictions at Chinese ports have also exacerbated the impact on the supply chain.
According to data from project44, the average cargo delays from China to the West Coast of the United States in 2021 will increase by 114% compared with the same period of the previous year, and the routes from China to Europe will increase by 172%.
Wilson Express chief executive Carl Schou said crew vaccination rates were on the rise, helping to keep confirmed symptoms mild. Crew members develop flu-like symptoms a few days following being infected, he said. As the world opens up, there may be a larger and more rapidly spreading Omicron outbreak in the future.
