11 January 2023 (Lloyd's List) - PORT of Shanghai has struggled to maintain container throughput growth amid the disruption caused by a city-wide lockdown and China’s heavy-handed zero-Covid policy. Container handling volume at the port was 47.3m teu in 2022, with 0.6% year-on-year growth, Shanghai International Port Group said in a preliminary earnings report. The performance represents the second-slowest throughput growth since 2010 when Shanghai became the world's busiest container port, a title which it has held for 13 consecutive years. Last year’s volume increase is just marginally better than the result in 2020, which was the first year that cargo volume was seriously affected by the imposition of draconian lockdowns. Subdued demand from the inflation-stricken large consumer nations, especially in the US and Europe, is also thought to have contributed to the slowing growth in 2022. Total cargo throughput in Shanghai dropped 4.6% to 514m tonnes last year from 539m tonnes in 2021, the port’s data shows. SIPG’s revenue rose 9.5% year on year to Yuan37.6bn ($5.5bn), while net profit increased 24.9% to Yuan17.1bn. The state-owned group said it “coordinated the Covid control and business development” and ensured the growth of container throughput in the past year. The city of Shanghai went through a two-month lockdown in April and May in the past year, causing severe disruptions to lives and businesses. The draconian coronavirus-control rules resulted in a ripple effect in the logistics sector, from clogged-up trucking services and occupied yard space to prolonged berth waiting time and the skipping of calls by carriers. The whole country, which reported large numbers of positive test cases for Covid and a wider lockdown in 2022, saw container throughput climb 4.2% year on year in the first 11 months, compared with 7.6% growth made in the same period of 2021, according to the latest data from the ministry of transport. Prospects for the year ahead are expected to improve after China made a sudden shift in its Covid stance last month and pledged to take economic recovery a priority for 2023.