West coast port update: just FYI

Dexter

Banned
Contributor
my mom works for an international freight forwarding company, and they have to deal with this. here you go, as we know this strike has most likely prevented us from getting our cars on time.

West Coast Port Update - Slow Progress
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Progress at the West Coast ports continues very slowly due to the massive
backlog of cargo resulting from a 10-day shutdown. Equipment shortages are
becoming the most critical by-product of the lock-out as is the
ever-changing schedules. Containers that have been offloaded at West Coast
ports are stalled there because there aren't enough chassis. This situation
is being compounded by the current productivity levels that, according to
the PMA, have declined since the docks were re-opened. Additionally ships
are being removed from their normal schedules, delaying their return to Asia
to reposition the empty containers needed.


We are being advised to add on an additional 10-19 days on to transit times
for ships that are currently docked or scheduled to dock in the next week or
so.
(Hopefully, this means us)
For example one vessel that was scheduled to be offloaded on the 11th
in Los Angeles is now scheduled to be offloaded 8 days later. In Seattle,
ships that were at port at the beginning of the strike (September 28th) have
been offloaded and just left the port yesterday (October 14).
Communication with the carriers is increasingly difficult. Schedules are
being provided based upon the conditions at the moment. Some vessels that
have been waiting to offload in Long Beach are being diverted to Oakland and
containers are being trucked or sent via rail back to Los Angeles or to
other inland points. Some incoming vessels are bypassing Los Angeles and are
offloading in Seattle. Even when bookings have been made, confirmations are
tentative based upon current schedules. Where a vessel may be scheduled to
depart on the 23rd the equipment cannot be picked up until six days prior to
the sailing because there is still a lack of chassis/empty containers.
Steamship lines are providing tentative bookings to ensure that our cargo is
in the pipeline for the next available vessel.


We are continuing to look at a minimum of 6-8 weeks to clear up the backlog
at the ports.
:eek:

The only break in sight was reported by the JOC today. Carriers agree that
November could be a light month for imports simply because the vessel and
equipment capacity will not be available to handle the normal volume. That
could take the pressure off of West Coast ports, giving them an opportunity
to climb out from under the huge volume of containers they're now being
asked to handle.
Additionally, the JOC reported that according to U.S. Customs, international
container lines, except under very limited circumstances, will not be able
to reload cargo unloaded at a West Coast port that is destined for another
port on the coast. Several container lines chose to offload the full volume
of a ship's U.S.-bound cargo at the vessel's first U.S. port of call instead
of steaming to a second port where it may face another lengthy delay for
berth space.
That resulted in cargo being stranded at a port far from its final
destination, requiring it to be shipped by vessel, train or truck. There had
been some confusion whether a foreign-flag carrier could pick up cargo it
deposited at one port, say Seattle, and carry it down the coast to Los
Angeles. Customs said on Tuesday that such moves would not be allowed due to
restrictions in the Jones Act, which requires that cargo shipped between
U.S. ports be moved on vessels built, owned and crewed by Americans. "The
Jones Act can only be waived in very rare circumstances," said a Customs
spokesman. The exception is cargo that a carrier offloaded immediately
before the lock-out was imposed on Sept. 29. This could be picked up by the
same carrier, but that would probably amount to relatively little cargo The
decision by Customs not to allow cargo destined for another U.S. port to be
reloaded will exacerbate the situation faced by carriers and shippers. It
means that cargo is essentially stranded and most be moved, possibly at the
shipper's expense, to its final destination because of the force majeure
declarations by many carriers.
Best Regards,
Philipp C. Rathgeb
Vice President Ocean Freight North America
Danzas AEI Intercontinental
33 Washington Street
14th Floor
Newark NJ 07102USA


i hope this was an informative post for you guys. might be a long read, but it was pretty good info at any rate.
 
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Very informative, thanks, but I would edit that guy's contact info. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate having it splashed all over the internet.
 
jroof said:
Very informative, thanks, but I would edit that guy's contact info. I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate having it splashed all over the internet.


oh s***! my bad! i totaly forgot!
 
Hey guys I can vouch for just about everything said in that post. I wouldn't be too worried about the contact information because he didn't really say anything that wasn't true. The JOC article was very informative. For anyone who doesn't know the JOC is the Journal of Commerce. Basically an industry magazine for shippers. I am sure this will be asked so I will go ahead and say it. I know all of this because I work for CSX Lines. We are a Jones Act Carrier carrying domestic cargo between the us, alaska/hawaii/guam/ and puerto rico. Check one of the other posts on this subject. It was a while back but I posted pretty much alot of this same info. Sorry to hear about all of this mess for you guys awaiting cars but be assured that the carriers are doing everything we can to expediate all cargo to it's destinations. Just remember this when you call your dealer demanding to know where your car is.
 
No problem Dexter...Remember guys...new members are signing up everyday and some do not do extensive searches for everything...so re-posts are cool if its something important/informative.
 
Hey Dex and Ant wasn't trying to say that he should have done a search or anything. Was just saying that I had posted on the topic before as I have been dealing with these west coast port problems alot longer than the general public has. I think this letter was a great thing to post. I actually shared it with our PR person and she confirmed all of the JOC stuff and explained more to me about force majuere' (I think that is how it is spelled) Once again wasn't flaming just didn't want to repost things I had already said. Meaning me and not him. I actually tried looking for the post and couldn't find it so it's no big deal. If anyone would like to know more specifics I can try and find them out for you.

As far as Canada goes for shipments I am sorry to say but you guys are actually going to be even farther behind than others. Canada freight always has special circumstances on it wether it be customs or ports or truckers or what have you. Unless of course the shippers are willing to pay the extra charges to get there cargo moved. Basically the force majuere' thing means that we as a carrier will not pay for the special moves because it was out of our control, but we are giving shippers special deals to help them move the cargo as long as they pay for it. So if the cargo is delayed you might ask who the shipper is because it is really mostly their decision as to if they want to pay to get their cargo there on time or just when ever it gets theree.

All of this is very touchy to talk about especially when trying to explain it on the computer meaning typing it. I don't want to give anybody the wrong ideas as there are literally hundreds of shippers and 3rd party freight forwarders and international carriersand such and every container is basically having to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Like I said though if anyone has specific questions I will try and answer as best I can.

Once again thanks for posting that Dexter. always kinda cool to get a different companys view on something that is going on like this.
 
TX for responding, but I don't understand. Perhaps, I wasn't clear.

Let me restate the question. The strike was in the US. I am wondering if there has been any ripple effect on shipments to Canada from the Orient (i.e., delay the turbo parts the Canadian cars are rumoured to be missing).
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Update:
Dammit!!! I found the answer in the Automotive News article:
"Workers at neighboring ports on Canada's western coast are honoring the U.S. stoppage. ".

Love you guys, but sometimes...
:'(
 
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Ports on the west coast of Canada shut down as well to honor the US strike. The port of Vancouver was closed and my car has been sitting there ever since.
 
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