Containers pile up at Myanmar ports as protests snarl trade afr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from afr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Feb 25, 2021, 7:51 AM
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About 100 containers a day are moving out of Yangon’s four main ports, said Myo Htut Aung, joint secretary of the Myanmar Container Trucking Association, down from an average of 800 boxes before the coup. About 90% of the city’s 4,000 container-truck drivers have halted work, he said.
The situation may add to a global container shortage triggered by the pandemic as government lockdowns to curb infections limit travel and consumers buy more goods. Spot rates for transporting 40-foot boxes rose 50% on average in 2020, according to World Container Index data and Bloomberg Intelligence.
“The truckers’ protest has severely affected operations at container terminals,” said Myo Htut Aung. “If drivers don’t pick up goods, all the containers have to be kept at the ports.”
YANGON (Bloomberg): Thousands of striking truck drivers in Myanmar protesting the military coup have slowed delivery of imports, trapping cargo containers at ports and prompting at least one international shipping line to halt new orders.