Record mark at POLB within sight
The US-West Coast Port of Long Beach will have handled more than 9 million teu by the turn of 2021. So far, the port had handled 8,600,000 teu by the end of November 2021, up 18.3% from the same period in 2020 and already surpassing the current annual record of 8.1 million teu set last year. In November, the port processed almost 745,500 teu, yet a 4.9% decline from the port’s strongest Nove
mber in 2020. While imports dropped 5.3% to 362,000 teu, exports decreased by 6.4% to almost 110,000 teu. Empty containers moved through the port were down 3.6% to 273,000 teu.
Currently, there are 34 container vessels at anchor waiting to enter the San Pedro Bay ports complex, down from more than 80 last month, due to a new queuing process implemented in November by the Pacific Maritime Association, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
A “container dwell fee”, announced on 25 October, which would charge ocean carriers for cargo containers that remain too long on the docks, has been postponed amid a 37% decline in aging cargo in San Pedro Bay terminals. The Port of Los Angeles has also adopted and postponed the fee. (sh)