Car makers are diverting shipments from Tianjin to Shanghai and other ports after the massive explosions at China’s largest automotive import hub on 12 August.

The local authorities have restricted access to areas affected by the blasts at a chemicals warehouse, which killed more than 100 people, and automotive firms are still in the process of clearing away thousands of charred cars.


Renault SA and Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries said that they will re-route their imports to Shanghai, while Hyundai Motor Co said it would send shipments to both Shanghai and Guangzhou. Toyota will re-route its imports to Shanghai and Dalian; it suspended its two final-assembly lines near Tianjin port for several days after the explosions. It made 432,340 cars there in 2014.

A Chinese government spokesman said: “The Port of Tianjin will likely be unusable for a long time, but I have no idea at the moment how long the disruption will last.”

Tianjin, which is seen as a gateway to China’s industrial North East, handles 40% of the country’s car imports. Shanghai’s sole automotive terminal could see a 10% rise in its car volumes, according to an official at Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co Ltd.

The port has an annual capacity of two to three million cars, said the official. “We’re only a temporary solution to the disruption; we can’t be a long-term substitute for Tianjin, which will definitely continue to hold on to its dominant position.”