Recently, the two major ports in the United States, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, affected by the Epidemic, the port labor shortage, as many as a hundred ships were forced to stop in the nearby waters, and some cargo ships can not be unloaded. The Ocean Exchange said that there are no other potential problems except for the supply chain of goods affected. Read the report.
According to the report, out of 15,000 dockworkers unloading cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, about 800 were recently placed under mandatory quarantine after confirmed or suspected exposure to the Chinese Communist virus.
As a result, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, amidst labor shortages, are facing severe congestion of vessel traffic.
Information shows that as of Feb. 22, there were about 102 ships at anchor at the two ports, with 30 container ships at anchor awaiting berthing. A total of 44 vessels have dropped anchor in the ports, with 30 of them waiting to berth.
Kip Louttit, executive director of the South Canada Marine Exchange: “The American public is shopping in large quantities, including personal protective equipment, Home furnishing supplies. Because they are no longer eating in restaurants, they are starting to remodel their houses, and they are also stocking up. Plus the land supply system, like trucks, trains, warehouses have become less efficient because of the need to comply with epidemic prevention regulations. That means the distribution pathways are less efficient, but there’s more cargo.”
Port of Los Angeles data points to a sudden spike and continued increase in container volumes at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach since late 2020, hitting a record high in January this year. But the surge in container volume has also caused severe traffic congestion.
In response, Ocean Exchange Director Lotit said that the port traffic congestion will inevitably cause inconvenience to consumers who buy goods. However, the Ocean Exchange will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to maintain a stable operation of port traffic.
Kip Louttit, executive director of the South Canada Marine Exchange: “Nothing bad will happen, just less efficient ports. We’ll track the changes over four days. If ships are heading to berths, we will make sure they are safe. If there are no berths available and a vessel needs to anchor, we will provide a safe anchorage. Once a berth is available to unload a container, we will ensure the vessel moves safely from the anchorage to the berth.”
According to port data, imports to the Port of Los Angeles in January were up about 5.5 percent from January of last year. Exports, on the other hand, were down nearly 19.5 percent. The Port of Long Beach’s January imports, on the other hand, topped the highest volume on record, up about 22 percent, and its exports were up 7 percent.
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