After the reopening of the Dalian port on January 10, the Chinese port of Qingdao officially reopened to Russian bulk carriers on January 11. The reopening ends a ban on bulk carrier loading and unloading at two ports, which will effectively facilitate the recovery of the pollock trade.
According to local media reports, Qingdao Port has now equipped bulk carriers with remote-controlled loader technology, eliminating the risk of cross-infection among international workers and improving unloading efficiency.
In the fall of 2020, the conversion of bulk cargo to containers made it impossible for Russian bulk carriers to deliver goods directly to Qingdao and Dalian ports. The resumption of loading and unloading is expected boost the pollock processing industry after the Spring Festival holiday.
In 2020, Qingdao and Dalian accounted for around 95% of China’s frozen pollock fillet exports, worth around $400 million.
The reopening of the ports of Dalian and Qingdao to Russian bulk cargo is a major positive for the global pollock industry.
This time the two ports are lifted and the local processing plants are expected to restore nearly half of the world’s frozen pollock supply.
