Congestion: Los Angeles handles 946,966 TEU in April

The busiest box port in the United States, Los Angeles, is dealing with congestion. There is some talk about the implementation of 24 hour operations.

In the month of April Los Angeles saw new records. Th port handled 946,966 TEU in that month. In the first quarter of 2021, Los Angeles is up 42% to 3.59M TEU.

The increase caused congestion. Fortunately there were signs the congestion was easing last month. “Fewer ships are going straight to anchor, and of those that do, the wait time is decreasing as our labor force and supply chain partners adeptly handle the steady stream of cargo on our docks,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said.

Yet, in the upcoming months the port will be dealing with congestion, as is expected. Seroka said the port’s forecasting shows “a continued stream of imports in the three weeks ahead, and well into summer time.” Newly-appointed Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Chairman Daniel B. Maffei said that the ports have been operating “at or beyond capacity” for some time now. A way to ease the congestion is to look at 24/7 operations. Seroka said that “in theory” 24 hour operations are “very attractive” but “factoring in private sector labor costs is challenging.” 

In addition the trucking and distribution industries would need to be able to receive import containers 24/7. Seroka said it is something the industry “will continue to look at.”