The flooding in Bangkok has reached a critical point. The Thai Government has announced a special 5 day holiday to manage the flooding crisis in Thailand. Floodwater has already runoff into the Bangkok city area. Many of the businesses are closed and more are expected to do so in the following days if the situation becomes worse.
Yesterday about 1030 AM, PAT senior officer has called for urgent meetings with vessel’s agencies regarding the Bangkok port (PAT) situation.
Even though the PAT has prepared sand bags and barrier for protecting the flooding within the PAT area, there is no guarantee that the flood will not run into PAT area. Parts of the terminal area may be affected by flooding during high tide period of 27- 31 Oct 2011.
Currently PAT terminal 1 & 2 are almost full of inbound FCL containers. Terminal 1 still has approximate 1200 TEUs of space left and it is expected that it will be totally full within the next few days. Terminal 2 has only about 100 TEUs of vacant space available and it is expected to be full within the next 24 hours. After then all vessels have to stop their discharging operation.
The main reason causing the congestion in Terminal 1 and 2 is due to most importers delaying the customs clearance and delivery due to flooding.
In normal situations, importers will have to do the clearance and delivery within 3-7 days, but at current situation most of the inbound FCL shipments are facing a long stay at terminal – up to 30-60 days or more, depending on when the flood will cease.
The Laem Chabang Terminal is also facing a similar situation to PAT. The terminal capacity for holding inbound shipment may be full within 1-2 weeks.
Action is proposed by the terminal, vessel and container operators in order to solve this crisis so that all parties benefit. Action may include a temporary stop to inbound shipments or vessels omitting Bangkok Port from their rotation.
Magellan Logistics is watching the situation closely and will keep our clients posted on the developments.
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