We have previously reported that U.S. President Biden made a public speech announcing that the two largest ports in the United States, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, will implement a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week “007” business model to solve port problems. Cargo congestion problem.
And said that in addition to ports, companies that are cooperating with extending transportation working hours and increasing the number of containers include the two major express delivery companies in the United States and retailers such as Walmart.
So, what is the current working situation of the two major ports in the United States?
About 200,000 containers are piled up at the port
The maritime flow volume of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach accounts for 40% of the total cargo volume of U.S. ports. Currently, there are still about 200,000 containers containing cargo accumulated at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach near the coast of Los Angeles!
According to information released by the port, as of yesterday, there were as many as 40 container ships waiting in line at the Port of Los Angeles alone, and the average waiting time for berthing has also hit a record All-time high of 12.8 days!
The number and waiting time of berthing container ships hit a new high:
At the same time , Containers unloaded from ships have piled up at the terminal. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said that 25% of the backlog of cargo near the Los Angeles coast has stayed at the terminal for more than 13 days.
Some ships have been waiting for nearly 40 days and are still waiting
According to the voyage and trajectory information of a container ship named “Zhonggu Jiangsu” provided by Shipping Information Network, the container ship chartered by Zhonggu Shipping arrived in Southern California waters on September 17, and it has been nearly 40 days. In the past, there was still no updated berthing plan.
Another container ship named MARTINIQUE has been waiting in the waters of Southern California for more than 45 days since its arrival on September 11! It didn’t dock until yesterday. Some media reported that the ship was chartered by a logistics company affiliated to Alibaba.
It is worth mentioning that according to the current situation, ships owned by non-traditional container shipping companies face serious disadvantages in terms of port berthing schedules.
California ports currently do not and cannot operate 24/7
Flexport Shipping Line Director Nathan Strang said that he visited the West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT) terminal in the Port of Los Angeles on the 20th and found that the port’s 7/24 work system has not been effectively established.
Nathan Strang learned:
The first is that the terminal currently does not even have a plan for 24/7 work on the terminal gate.
Secondly, the number of container trucks arriving at the terminal at night is around 50 or even less most of the time. As for after midnight, there are no trucks at the terminal.
Thirdly, in terms of empty container loading, since only two quay cranes are working, this means that the speed is also greatly limited.
Fourth is the problem of frame equipment. On the one hand, trailers often cannot be repaired, and on the other hand, there are insufficient places to park trailers at the dock.
In response to the problem of US port congestion, US supply chain competition The ACSCC recommended that the Biden administration develop a program to provide active-duty military, veterans and National Guard members with voluntary and paid truck driving jobs to assist in clearing containers at ports.
According to Agence France-Presse in Washington, U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg emphasized that the Biden administration is making every effort to solve the overload problem of ports, railways and roads across the United States. He said the government would “re-evaluate all options” to resolve the bottleneck crisis.
But he said on the CNN program that many of the challenges the United States has encountered this year will continue into next year. </p
