Southern California: Vessel numbers on rise again

Vessels waiting outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are on the rise again as 82 vessels were reported to be sitting in the water on 15 November 2021.

The latest figures comes as part of a social media post from Shipping Analyst Lars Jensen, and clearly demonstrates that the current congestion problem in southern California is still not improving despite efforts from the ports affected.


© Lars Jensen via LinkedIn
The new surcharge for long-dwelling containers in Los Angeles and Long Beach has also now come into effect. The surcharge will see the ports charge ocean carriers with cargo dwelling over specific periods $100 per container, increasing in $100 increments per container per day.

The charge was proved unpopular with ocean carriers since its announcement and German carrier Hapag-Lloyd has made clear in its latest customer update that the charge will be passed on to clients.

“This is a port authority announced and levied charge, which, as a pass-through charge, will be for the account of the merchant,” the line wrote.

The last update on the ongoing congestion crisis in southern California on 25 October saw 79 vessels waiting in the waters outside of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Port of Long Beach was part of another initiative to implement 24/7 operations to help alleviate some of the pressure currently facing the ports. However, in a North American update, Hapag-Lloyd revealed the move “was not successful to implement a full program.”

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/southern-california-vessel-numbers-on-rise-again/