Jammed LA, Long Beach ports put container fee on hold again

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced connected Monday, Dec. 13 that a “Container Excess Dwell Fee” connected companies whose containers linger astatine marine terminals volition beryllium delayed again, present scheduling it to instrumentality effect if indispensable connected Dec. 20.

The fee, which was announced Oct. 25, has been delayed owed to advancement successful reducing the fig of larboard containers astatine the terminal, with the ports reporting Monday a 47% diminution successful aging cargo connected the docks, up from the 37% diminution announced the erstwhile week. Over the adjacent week, larboard officials volition show and reassess the fee’s implementation.

“There’s been important betterment successful clearing import containers from our docks successful caller weeks,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said Nov. 15, erstwhile the interest was archetypal delayed. The interest was delayed again connected Nov. 22 and Nov. 29 and Dec. 6.

“I’m grateful to the galore nodes of the proviso chain, from shipping lines, marine terminals, trucks and cargo owners, for their accrued collaborative efforts,” Seroka added.

The interest is 1 of respective efforts aimed astatine speeding the processing of cargo astatine the San Pedro Port Complex and destruct a backlog of ships trying to present merchandise. Port of Los Angeles officials said erstwhile the argumentation was announced that astir 40% of import containers were idling astatine terminals for astatine slightest 9 days.

Both Long Beach and Los Angeles’ harbor commissions unanimously approved the argumentation connected Oct. 29, to beryllium successful effect for 90 days.

The fines, if implemented, volition statesman astatine $100 per container, expanding by $100 per instrumentality each day. Containers acceptable to beryllium transported by motortruck volition incur fines if they stay astatine the larboard for 9 days oregon more. For obstruction containers, fines volition beryllium assessed if they are astatine the larboard for 3 days oregon more.

Fees collected from the argumentation volition beryllium reinvested into programs that purpose to heighten efficiency, accelerate cargo velocity and code congestion impacts.

The argumentation to instrumentality fees was developed successful coordination with the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Port of Long Beach and proviso concatenation stakeholders.