Although freight charges dropped slightly after Lunar New Year, the unexpected Suez Canal blockage in March after one of the world's largest container ships got wedged there following a sandstorm, caused a new round of capacity shortages and higher freight costs, a report by the Shanghai International Shipping Institute said.

One of the major events that occurred during the pandemic was the blockage of the Suez Canal on March 23 by a carrier called the Ever Given, whose movement turned erratic due to a sandstorm, and ran aground across the narrow channel.

The fund will help to launch a sandstorm prevention project in the next three years to improve the surrounding environment of the Mogao Grottoes, said Mercedes-Benz.

In addition, the collaboration includes the building of sand and dust monitoring stations in the Gobi Desert regions of China and Mongolia to conduct sandstorm monitoring and provide early warnings.