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
--------------------------------------------
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.
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.
West Coast Port Update - Slow Progress
--------------------------------------------
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.
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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