b"2American Journal of Transportation ajot.comPort of LAs Seroka: Sweeper ships will relieve terminal congestion and take empties back to AsiaSweeper Ships, ships deployed for the purpose of picking up empty containers for repositioning, have for years been an instrument in the ocean carriers tool box to balance container flows in extreme cir-cumstances. With the introduction of $100 Excess Dwell Fees at ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to address pile up of empty containers, it appears these are extreme circumstances.By Stas Margaronis, AJOTGeneSeroka,executiveto the Port of Los Angeles so directorofthePortofLosas to pick up the empty con-Angelessaysoceancarri- tainersandtransportthem ersaredispatchingemptyback to Asia.containershipsorso-calledA spokesman for the Port sweepershipstothePortofLosAngelescouldnotTERMINAL OPERATORS, to move empty containers offprovidedetailsastohow the docks and back to Asia somanysweepershipswillbePORT DRAYAGE & as to relieve congestion. deployed,howsoonthey On October 29th, Serokawould arrive and whether theyCHASSIS MANAGEMENT 2021told Port Los Angeles Harbor(RELIEVEcontinued on commissioners that the pile uppage 9) CMA CGM has acquired Fenix Marine Services at the Port of Los Angeles, CA (see article on page 5)of empty containers has been amajorcauseofthecon-gestioncrisisattheSouth-ernCaliforniaports.Empty containershavebeenaccu-mulatingatLosAngelesin partbecausetheyarebeing transported from other portsNORTH AMERICA'Sbecauseitistheshortest water distance back to Asia.Matt Schrap, chief execu- PREMIER STEVEDORE tiveofficerattheHarbor TruckingAssociation(HTA)& TERMINAL PARTNERtold AJOT that empty contain-ersarecomingtoSouthern California from ports outside ofCaliforniaandasfarasOver 60 Years ofAtlantic coast ports making aHigh-Quality Experiencebadsituationworse:Were taking empty containers from alloverthecountrybecause it is a shorter water route for carriers. So now we have local empties competing with emp- We don't just move cargo; weties from Prince Rupert (Brit-ish Columbia), from Chicago,move businesses forward. fromSavannah,fromHous-ton.TheyrecomingtoLA/LongBeachwhichisgum-ming up the works. If you can think it, we can move it. P romise ofs weePers hiPsSerokasaidthathehas hadpositiveresponsesfrom several ocean carriers includ-ingCOSCOandHapag-Lloyd.Bothcarriershave promisedtosendsweeper ships to help transport empty containers back to Asia.RO/RO Cruise ContainerBreakbulk & BulkMilitary CargoGrainGene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los AngelesSeroka told the commis-sioners that he hopes to per- WWW.CERESGLOBAL.COMsuadeoneoceancarrierto temporarily redeploy several 23,000 twenty-foot unit mega containershipsawayfrom the Asia to Europe trade and"