As concerns about supply chain disruptions continue to intensify, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach issued a joint statement after consulting with multiple supply chain stakeholders and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach extended the opening hours of truck gates at night and on weekends.
Port managers said that this is a step towards all-weather operations, and may be the starting point for the entire port's 24/7 (24/7) operations.
More than 430,000 teu cargo outside the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles awaits unloading
According to data from the Southern California Maritime Exchange, there were 70 container ships waiting for berths outside the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles this Monday, with a total capacity of 432,909 teu. Judging from this huge figure, this is more than the volume of imported containers handled by the Port of Long Beach in August, which is roughly equivalent to the volume of imported containers handled by the Port of Savannah in two months.
The total imported container volume of Los Angeles and Long Beach ports in August was 893,118 teu. Assuming that the ships waiting offshore are actually full, the capacity is used as a proxy for freight volume, and the terminal can handle ships at the same speed as in August, then, only In the case of no ships arriving in the next 14 days, ships in anchorages and wandering areas can be completely processed.
However, from the current point of view, the number of incoming ships has not decreased. MarineTraffic’s vessel positioning data confirms that there is still a steady stream of container ships traveling across the Pacific to Los Angeles.
In response to congestion, the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles extends operating hours
As concerns about supply chain disruption continue to increase, the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach issued a joint statement after consulting with multiple supply chain stakeholders and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have extended truck gate opening hours at night and on weekends.
The Port of Los Angeles extended the opening hours of truck gates on weekends, while the Port of Long Beach kept the truck gates open between 2 am and 7 am.
The "Accelerate Cargo LA" (Accelerate Cargo LA) weekend truck gate opening extension plan will be conducted on a pilot basis and will monitor how the plan meets demand and helps improve port efficiency.
Managers of the Port of Long Beach said that they have extended the opening hours of truck gates at night, which is a step towards all-weather (24/7) operations. Executive Director Mario Cordero said last month that the port will have to consider working around the clock in the next few years to cope with rising cargo volumes.
According to port officials, management is negotiating with a terminal operator on 24-hour operations, which may be the starting point for the entire port to operate 24/7 (24/7).
The US government is increasingly uneasy about the deteriorating situation. The White House has established a "Supply Chain Interruption Task Force" to ease bottlenecks, speed up the transportation of goods to consumers, and expand export opportunities for American companies. The Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach work closely with them.
Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, said: "We thank the Biden Harris government for its response to the unprecedented global supply chain disruption facing the San Pedro Bay Port Complex."
In addition to extending operating hours, the port also calls on terminal operators to encourage trucking companies to pick up and return containers during non-peak hours (especially late at night). According to a report from the terminal, only about 30% of the truck booking period between 6 pm and 3 am is filled on average.
The plan to extend working hours was welcomed, but not everyone expected it. A freight forwarding executive described this as a "hamburger with nothing."
Craig Grossgart, Senior Vice President of Global Marine of Seko Logistics, said that the plan will have no effect other than allowing the terminal to clean its yard and make it slightly more efficient.
He said: “Truck drivers and customers don’t want to pull boxes at night, because very few distribution centers operate 24 hours a day. Therefore, if truck drivers ship containers in advance, they need to store them in a safe yard. Obviously doing so will cost More money, but also responsible for the safety of the container."
He also wants to know who will bear these expenses. He believes that container shipping companies are reluctant to do this, because additional operating hours will bring additional costs, so this may make terminal operators bear additional costs.
