Cargo vessels loaded with Congolese cobalt are once again making their way to China now that port operations in Durban are beginning to recover. The port was shut for weeks after severe floods last month blocked the roads and railways that transport the tons of raw materials that depart from southern Africa’s largest shipping facility.
The new problem is what happens when those vessels make it to China? Many of the ports along China’s eastern seaboard are either closed or have limited operations due to the ongoing lockdowns. Similarly, many of the factories in Zhejiang and other eastern provinces that process the cobalt are similarly hobbled.
