Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero defended surcharges that the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles propose to assess on ocean carriers, which he said were necessary to alleviate the congestion crisis at the two ports.
In a bold move to end the gridlock at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the two ports announced that they will assess ocean carriers $100 per container per day surcharges for import containers that are not moved off marine terminals after specified time periods.
Following an October 13th White House meeting with President Biden on port congestion, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka provided assurances that terminals at the Port of Los Angeles would utilize 24/7 operations to reduce congestion.
Two U.S. port officials said improvements in transportation infrastructure are necessary to avoid a repeat of current port congestion problems and cited the need for upgrades in warehousing and rail transport as well as increased worker training.
A new report “The 3rd National Risk Assessment: Infrastructure on the Brink”, found that there is a growing risk of flooding and major disruptions to U.S. infrastructure.
The Agriculture Transportation Coalition’s (AgTC) virtual convention heard Executive Director Peter Friedmann underscore the continued frustration that U.S. agricultural exporters experience booking space for export containers from ocean carriers.
On October 1st, Maine’s Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) submitted an application to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to lease a 15.2-square-mile area nearly 30 miles offshore in the Gulf of Maine for the nation’s first floating offshore wind research site in federal waters.
The recent decision by ocean carriers to reduce vessel service at the Port of Oakland and send more vessels to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has negatively impacted U.S. agricultural exporters in the middle of the harvest.
The Propeller Clubs of Northern California and of Los Angeles and Long Beach convened a joint forum to discuss the impact of U.S. railroads on California ports.