The Coronavirus has already reached Europe and its effects are increasing on international goods transport. There has been a significant increase in infections in Italy. Read this article to find out what the shipping agents, freight forwarders and haulers need to pay attention to when carrying out transport orders in an out of the affected regions.
Presently some locations in the provinces of Lodi and Padwa in Northern Italy have been banned for travelling.
The three largest port gateways of Europe have already been warned of a significant hit to container volumes this year because of the demands limiting measures to combat the spread of China’s coronavirus which has led to unprecedented capacity cards by carriers on the Asia Europe trade.
More than half of these scheduled container shipping departures on Asia-North Europe have been cancelled in the past four weeks. It is anticipated that more capacity cuts will be made in the near future.
We are carefully monitoring the evolving situation and we remain committed to mitigating any potential impact on the supply and operations. We have already established some preventive measures to make sure that the health and well being of our suppliers, customers and partners safeguard against COVID-19.
According to WHO, it is evident that the coronaviruses do not survive for a longer span on objects such as packages and packing materials.
We are following all the guidance provided by the World health organisation. We have deployed high standards in hand hygiene and are maintaining social distance as well. We have made sure to keep physical contact at a minimum level. We are also following the guidelines imposed by the local authorities.
At VSL Logistics, we understand the concerns of our customers regarding the delivery of products and so we have made sure to be e as careful as possible while picking up and handling the goods.
Due to restrictions and bans on travelling and transporting goods to and from the affected areas, there is a probability that we might not be able to transport booked shipments. However, we are working proactively with our team as well as customers to understand both the transport and logistics requirements. We are also trying to fully utilise our available sources to secure the additional capacity as needed and available.
China’s transport and operations are severely affected by the Corona Virus. Transport both to and from Mainland China have been kept on hold. The other areas where imports and export are affected are a few Italian regions and cities. However, most of the European operations and transport remain unaffected.
