Gene Seroka

Ports of LA, Long Beach clear containers, set January records

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rebounded from year-over-year December volume drops and reported January records.

The Port of LA handled 865,595 twenty-foot equivalent units last month. It was the best January in the port’s 115-year history and 3.6% better than the first month of 2021, when the port moved 835,516 TEUs.  

“We also eclipsed our January 2019 record of 852,000 container units, when cargo owners were trying to get ahead of the tariff deadlines set by the previous...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ports-of-la-long-beach-clear-containers-set-january-records

Viewpoint: Purse strings are frayed — and US trade is held hostage

The inverse relationship between the price tag of trade and overall service continues to be upside down — and don’t expect that trend to change anytime soon. 

Despite the rhetoric, the historic amount of imports from Asia is canceling any reported “success” of long-dwelling containers being moved out of the Port of Los Angeles. Executive Director Gene Seroka tells American Shipper that the port’s land capacity remains at 100%. Ideally, that percentage should be in the 70s for efficient container...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-purse-strings-are-frayed-and-us-trade-is-held-hostage

58,900 long-dwelling containers now on penalty clock in LA, Long Beach

The penalties on 58,900 containers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are officially racking up charges. These containers were part of the 60,000 containers the ports alerted the ocean carriers last Monday to move or face a daily $100 penalty per container, increasing in $100 increments per day.

American Shipper reached out to both ports for updates on the removal of the “lingering” containers.

According to Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, there are a total of 84,000...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/58900-long-dwelling-containers-now-on-penalty-clock-in-la-long-beach

Captive cargo: Small businesses most at risk from SoCal port gridlock

Aerial view of a large container terminal at a port, with cranes and containers.

Punitive charges that went into effect Monday at the Port of Los Angeles for containers left on the docks too long are a last resort to help shippers retrieve urgent cargo trapped under a massive backlog, said Executive Director Gene Seroka at Friday’s emergency Harbor Commission meeting. He implored large companies that don’t need products right away, and have overflowing warehouses, to find alternative storage in the region so small businesses can get orders they need to survive.

“There is no...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/captive-cargo-small-businesses-most-at-risk-from-socal-port-gridlock

Record cargo volumes flowing through Southern California ports despite logjam

Despite the San Pedro Bay congestion and transportation and warehouse capacity crunches, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are moving cargo — a lot of cargo. The Port of LA had its busiest September ever, while Long Beach had its second-busiest. 

The Port of LA handled 903,865 twenty-foot equivalent units in September. That is up 2.3% compared to the previous September record set last year of 883,625 TEUs. 

Through the end of September, 2021 volume at the Port of LA totaled 8,176,917 TEUs,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/record-cargo-volumes-flowing-through-southern-california-ports-despite-logjam

How fast can LA clear out its ships?

Now that the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have moved to 24/7 operations, pressure is mounting to reduce the backlog of ships at anchor in San Pedro Bay.

But more coordination will be required among the links in the Southern California supply chain before that can happen. And with 25 more containerships filled with holiday inventory from Asia scheduled to anchor within the next three days, results have to come fast.

As part of the ports’ new 24/7 operating plan, instead of waiting for cargo...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-fast-can-la-clear-out-its-ships

Check Call — Shared truckload: The Goldilocks of freight

Group of people huddled around desks
Image: Memegenerator.net

The Goldilocks of freight, shared truck load (STL) — when you have freight that is too big for LTL but too small for a full truckload, that’s where you can find shared truckload. Shared truckload shipments allow shippers to pay less for faster service. 

One component of that faster service is because freight stays on one truck the entire time and doesn’t have to stop at terminals to be offloaded. With STL, shippers don’t have to wait till the truck gets full, they can...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/check-call-shared-truckload-the-goldilocks-of-freight

Seroka honored for ‘unwavering leadership throughout the pandemic’

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka has been named the recipient of the Containerization & Intermodal Institute’s (CII) 2021 Connie Award.

“As the head of the nation’s largest port, Gene showed unwavering leadership throughout the pandemic by consistently rising to the occasion with innovative solutions to ever-changing challenges,” CII President Steve Blust said. 

During the height of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti named Seroka the city’s first chief...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/seroka-honored-for-unwavering-leadership-throughout-the-pandemic

1 month, 1 million-plus containers at Port of LA

The Port of Los Angeles announced Tuesday that it had earned the distinction as the first port in the Western Hemisphere to handle more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in a single month.

May was the busiest month in the 114-year history of the United States’ busiest port. The Port of LA moved a total of 1,012,248 TEUs, up 74% from May 2020, when COVID-19 had stalled global trade. 

The Port of Long Beach and South Carolina Ports Authority last week also reported record Mays. And...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/1-month-1-million-plus-containers-at-port-of-la

Port of LA reaches 10 million-container milestone

The Port of Los Angeles on Thursday became the first port in the Western Hemisphere to process 10 million container units in a 12-month period.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, longshore labor leaders and port officials were among those gathered at the Fenix Marine Services Terminal to watch as the 10 millionth container was loaded onto the CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci. 

The CMA CGM Group is the Port of LA’s largest shipping line customer. The ship, which has a carrying capacity of 13,344 twenty-foot...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-la-reaches-10-million-container-milestone

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