SIMIC

Shenzhen's Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) began restricting the entry of laden export containers to four days before a vessel's time of berthing because of yard congestion.

Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT) handles 25 per cent of transpacific exports from China; half of its total volume - 28.8 million TEU - is US-bound.

In an advisory, Hong Kong's Hutchison Ports, which operates YICT blamed the lack of space in its yard to vessel delays caused by US and European port congestion.

Yantian has also seen a 30 per cent spike in cargo volumes in January compared with December, according to forwarders.

"Under such circumstances, there are many laden boxes stuck inside the terminal and the yard density is close to full," YICT said.

Although limiting gate-in entry, YICT said it would maintain its daily entry quota of 12,000 laden containers.

Due to yard congestion at Shekou Container Terminal, the second-busiest of Shenzhen's three main container terminals, laden containers are only being accepted within three days of a vessel's actual arrival.