THE tally of ships anchored in San Pedro Bay waiting to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has begun creeping upward again with mid-July data from the local Marine Exchange showing that more than 20 vessels were at anchor awaiting berth space, according to Seatrade Maritime News, Colchester, UK.
This reflects increased imports from China after a pause during June, when as few as 10 container vessels were waiting in the Bay. The pause coincided with the closure of large portions of the export hub of Yantian port in South China, which caused significant disruption to global container shipping.
Latest statistics show that In June, the Port of Los Angeles handled 82 containerships carrying 876,430 TEU. It was the busiest June in the port's long history - and a nearly 27 per cent increase compared to June 2020, when volumes were reduced due to the pandemic.
Carl Bentzel, a Commissioner at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), was quoted in the mainstream Washington Post as saying: 'I am extremely concerned now about the economic impact caused by the current situation. This could be the first time the public sees the impact of maritime shipping disruption since World War II.'
This comes at time that lobbyists for cargo interests, in Washington, DC, are pushing the us Congress to look into the actions of carriers, including expedited return of empty boxes to Asia, rather than offering them to US exporters. The carriers, conversely, point to landside delays for the record throughputs, rather than anti-competitive practices.
Data from the Port of Los Angeles bears out the latter viewpoint. A mid-July report shows a six day average time at berths for containerships, contrasted with mid-June times of typically four or five days (and sometimes as low as three).
SeaNews Turkey
This reflects increased imports from China after a pause during June, when as few as 10 container vessels were waiting in the Bay. The pause coincided with the closure of large portions of the export hub of Yantian port in South China, which caused significant disruption to global container shipping.
Latest statistics show that In June, the Port of Los Angeles handled 82 containerships carrying 876,430 TEU. It was the busiest June in the port's long history - and a nearly 27 per cent increase compared to June 2020, when volumes were reduced due to the pandemic.
Carl Bentzel, a Commissioner at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), was quoted in the mainstream Washington Post as saying: 'I am extremely concerned now about the economic impact caused by the current situation. This could be the first time the public sees the impact of maritime shipping disruption since World War II.'
This comes at time that lobbyists for cargo interests, in Washington, DC, are pushing the us Congress to look into the actions of carriers, including expedited return of empty boxes to Asia, rather than offering them to US exporters. The carriers, conversely, point to landside delays for the record throughputs, rather than anti-competitive practices.
Data from the Port of Los Angeles bears out the latter viewpoint. A mid-July report shows a six day average time at berths for containerships, contrasted with mid-June times of typically four or five days (and sometimes as low as three).
SeaNews Turkey
