b'14American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comBeacons OConnell says U.S. West Coast(OPTIMISTICcontinued from page 12)themselves,theirfamilies port surge over rivals might be lengthyand loved ones.West Coast ports, particularly Los Angeles and Long Beach but also Oak- However,thatwaslast land, Seattle-Tacoma, and Vancouver, are expected to benefit from a surge ofyear and before a prolonged import and export business related to accessibility problems at the Panamaseriesofpirateattackson and Suez Canals. freightersnavigatingthe Red Sea. Gold, who testified January 31 before the House By Stas Margaronis, AJOT TransportationInfrastruc-ture Committee Coast Guard West Coast ports, partic- CoastportstoChicagoandnias San Joaquin Valley. and Maritime Transportation ularly Los Angeles and Longother Midwest destinations. In2024,theCaliforniaSubcommittee, said the ongo-BeachbutalsoOakland,WestCoastagriculturaleconomy is in good shape,ingimpactofvesseldiver- Jonathan Gold, VP of supply chain Seattle-Tacoma, and Vancou- exporters are not diverting ship- butwillexperienceaslow- sions away from the Red Sea& economic policy, NRFver,areexpectedtobenefitments to East and Gulf Coastdown from 2023 levels.raises serious concerns aboutthe retail supply chain. Nev-fromasurgeofimportandports as had been predicted. increased rates and fees, theertheless, in his comments to exportbusinessrelatedtoTrucking costs in Califor- i mpOrtS urge tOw eSt potentialforcongestionatthe AJOT, Gold said retailers accessibility problems at thenia are expected to rise as aC OaStp OrtS U.S.portsandretailerrisktoday are focused on preserv-Panama and Suez Canals thatresult of regulatory demandsOConnelltoldAJOT:mitigation strategies. ing and protecting merchan-could last months or longer,fromtheCaliforniaAirTherewillbeasubstantialHaving a safe, efficient,dise in transit.accordingtoBeaconEco- Resources Board (CARB) tobumpinimporttradeasapredictable and timely supplyFor cargo already on ves-nomicsInternationalTradereplace diesel powered trucksresultofthewatershort- chain is critical to the successsels and destined for the Red Advisor Jock OConnell. with electric powered trucks. agesneededtooperatetheof any retailer, he testified.Sea and the Suez Canal, the Infact,theU.S.WestThere is a global wine glutlocksatthePanamaCanal.Theabilitytoensurethatcarriers who made the deci-Coastportsposteda6%that is particularly impactingAtthesametime,thereisproducts are available to thesiontogoaroundtheCape marketshareincreaseinlower end U.S. wines includ- (SURGEcontinued onconsumer, whether they shop(OPTIMISTICcontinued November2023,accord- ing those produced in Califor- page 18) in-storeoronline,iskeytoon page 21)ingtothePacificMer-chantShippingAssociations (PMSA)WestCoastTrade Report:Lookingatcoastal shares of the inbound trade, 45.6%ofNovemberscrop of2,003,771inboundloads were discharged at U.S. West Coastportsaconsider-able bump from their 39.3% shareayearearlier.U.S. EastCoastportsmeanwhile worked 47.0% of the nations inbound loads in November, down from a 51.6% share the previous November. Our two U.S.GulfCoastportsheld a 7.4% share of all inbound loadsinNovember,down from their 9.2% share a year earlierbutupfroma6.3% shareofNovember2019s inbound loads.In an exclusive interview withAJOT,OConnell,an internationaltradespecialist who also focuses on the Cali-fornia economy, noted:Jock OConnellU.S.WestCoastports willexperienceasurgein importvolumesdiverted fromEastandGulfCoast ports in 2024.ThePortsofLos Ange-les and Long Beach will be beneficiaries, but the Ports of Oakland, Seattle-Tacoma and Vancouver will also benefit.Thetworailroadswhich service the West Coast ports, theUnionPacific(UP)and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe(BNSF)areexpectedto adjusttheirrailcapacityto handletheimportsurgeand minimize disruptions moving containerloadsfromWest'