The Port of Melbourne says container volumes have declined on this time last year due to supply chain disruptions
The Port of Melbourne says it experienced a decline in container throughput volumes in May this year as numbers dropped by six per cent from May 2021.
Although full container exports were up by 1.1 per cent on May 2021 volumes due to uplifts in fresh fruit, hay, wheat and milk, Port of Melbourne says total container imports were down 3.9 per cent from May 2021 with miscellaneous manufactures also down from the same month last year.
Full container exports were the rarity in volume increases, as total empty container exports dropped 14.1 per cent below 2021 volumes.
Port of Melbourne says this decrease is due to a variety of reasons including vessel scheduling issues, reduced number of total services at the port and congestion in May.
Port of Melbourne says in its statement that the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Shanghai in early June has impacted the port regarding global supply chain factors.
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“Whilst the world’s largest container port has continued operating during this period of lockdowns at a reduced capacity, the flow on effects of moving containers to nearby ports has compounded the issues of landside congestion, delays and equipment availability,” the Port of Melbourne statement says.
“As Shanghai fully opens and stalled factories and workers resume normal operations, this will likely put more pressure on the back half of 2022 across global supply chains as we head towards the traditional peak season.”
Port of Melbourne says it will continue monitoring congestion through measures such as landside dwell time.
“Strong uplifts in break bulk volumes, for both automotive and steel commodities, remain ongoing,” the Port of Melbourne statement says.