MSC diverts from Los Angeles to Tacoma in bid to avoid congestion

The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) has announced that Mediterranean Shipping Company MSC (MSC) will divert one of its Pacific schedules to the Port of Tacoma away from the Port of Los Angeles as West Coast congestion continues.

In a statement, the NWSA said that the ‘MSC Nerissa’ will call at the Port’s Husky Terminal and have a rotation of Yantian – Shanghai – Tacoma – Yantian.

NWSA’s co-chair and Port of Tacoma Commission President Dick Marzano said that the Port has welcomed “many extra-loader MSC vessels” in recent months as carriers look to avoid the backlog at the US’ major gateways.

The ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland have all seen traffic multiply as exports from China resume amid an easing of lockdown measures.

This has led to some carriers diverting vessels to other port hubs, such as the NWSA or the US East Coast.

“We are thankful to our labor partners and the BNSF who have helped keep our gateway’s operations smooth, productive and efficient.

“We look forward to moving more MSC cargo through this new service calling our gateway.”

The NWSA continued by saying that MSC has “shared its appreciation” for the efficient operations at the Port of Tacoma which has made it “the most fluid of all US West Coast Ports”.

The MSC Santana service is the fourth new service calling the NWSA gateway since the beginning of the year.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/msc-diverts-from-los-angeles-to-tacoma-in-bid-to-avoid-congestion/