US west coast ports

Congestion in US West Coast ports threatens long-term growth

Nearly US$2 trillion a year is the national economic value of the US West Coast ports, but in the long run, their growth is threatened.

According to a new study by maritime economist John Martin, PhD., congestion in Southern California due to high container volumes, combined with the increasing capacity at East Coast and Gulf ports, has accelerated the diversion of Asian cargo away from the West Coast, which threatens to weaken it financially in the long run.

Two new reports by Martin Associates...

https://container-news.com/congestion-in-us-west-coast-ports-threatens-long-term-growth/

Bottleneck in US Ports, Hike in Freight Rates

  • An influx of imports from Asia to the U.S. has created a bottleneck at West Coast ports.
  • As a result, backed up cargo ships have started to contribute to a worldwide shortage of containers and soaring shipping rates.
  • The volume of containers handled at the California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which serve as gateways for goods from Asia, grew 45% in February.
  • The traffic jam of container ships along the West Coast is exacerbating a shortage of containers and a corresponding rise in...

https://mfame.guru/bottleneck-in-us-ports-hike-in-freight-rates/

Port of Long Beach chief Mario Cordero on why rail and digitisation are key

This year has been something of a rollercoaster ride for the Californian port of Long Beach.
Throughput dipped 6.9% in the first half, to rebound at a double-digit clip in the following months to a record-setting 806,603 teu handled in October.
And, like the nearby port of Los Angeles, Long Beach has struggled with the surge of imports, which exceeded predictions.
The situation was exacerbated by shortages of chassis and export containers, as …

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https://theloadstar.com/port-of-long-beach-chief-mario-cordero-on-why-rail-and-digitisation-are-key/

Wave of Asian imports engulfs more US ports, driving up costs

The wave of imports that has overwhelmed Los Angeles and Long Beach has spread to other gateways, causing delays and higher costs for importers.
The port of Oakland reported a 10.4% year-on-year rise in imports in October, which the port authority attributed to continuing strong consumer demand and retailers’ efforts to re-stock inventories.
Further up the coast, the Northwest Seaports Alliance of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma experienced a 4.7% rebound …

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https://theloadstar.com/wave-of-asian-imports-engulfs-more-us-ports-driving-up-costs/

Pain for US importers appears far from over as seasonal stock pours in

Retailers are concerned about delays to their holiday merchandise, as robust import volumes are straining the US west coast gateways.
In particular, they claim, the port complex of Los Angeles and Long Beach is already struggling with lengthening transit times.
According to the Port Tracker report, published monthly by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, US container ports handled 2.1m teu of imports in August, up 9.7% month on month, …

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https://theloadstar.com/pain-for-us-importers-appears-far-from-over-as-seasonal-stock-pours-in/

Trade war and tariffs fail to slow growing surge of US imports from China

US west coast ports, and rail and road links to the interior, are currently struggling with a surge of imports from Asia, mostly from China.
Despite all the fiery rhetoric and tariffs, the flow of goods from China to the US has not slowed down.
“We have not seen a major slowdown in business with China, it’s pretty steady, if not growing,” said Bob Imbriani, vice-president international services of forwarder Team Worldwide.
If …

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https://theloadstar.com/trade-war-and-tariffs-fail-to-slow-growing-surge-of-us-imports-from-china/

US container imports fall 10% in June, but west coast ports pull traffic back

In a reversal of the trend of the past year, US west coast ports fared better in comparison with their east and Gulf coast gateway rivals last month, recording a smaller decline in container imports.
According to the latest monthly statistics compiled by New York-based consultancy Blue Alpha Capital, container imports into the top ten US ports declined by 10.2% in June, compared with the same month of last year, to …

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https://theloadstar.com/us-container-imports-fall-10-in-june-but-west-coast-ports-pull-traffic-back/

Peak season capacity cuts hit home as Asia-Europe spot rates edge back up

After weeks of erosion, Asia-North Europe container spot rates appear to have responded to peak season capacity cuts and are edging back up. 
The North Europe component of today’s Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) recorded a 12.2% increase in rates to $754 per teu, while rates for Mediterranean ports were up by a more modest 3.3%, to $718 per teu. 
Asia-North Europe ocean carriers serving the route have withdrawn some 150,000 teu of capacity this month …

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https://theloadstar.com/peak-season-capacity-cuts-hit-home-as-asia-europe-spot-rates-edge-back-up/

More trade war tariffs could mean ‘double-digit’ import declines at US poprts

Import container throughput at the 10 largest US ports fell 3.3% in June, year on year, to 1.7m teu, according to the latest data from Blue Alpha Capital
“The impact of tariffs is becoming apparent and, absent any changes, the effect will become more pronounced,” said the consultancy’s founder and author of the report, John D McCown.
“The containers arriving in June were loaded in China after the 25 February decision to …

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https://theloadstar.com/more-trade-war-tariffs-could-mean-us-ports-seeing-double-digit-import-declines/

Drought forces Panama Canal draught restrictions and pushes up rates

El Niño is having a major impact on container traffic through the Panama Canal this year.
From May 28, the canal operator is going to reduce the draught at its Neopanamax locks to 43 feet, the latest in a series of depth reductions that have brought the permitted level down from 50ft at the beginning of the year. 
The region is suffering from a protracted drought that has decimated the water in a lake …

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