Maersk Shifts to Seattle

A.P. Moller-Maersk, in a dramatic move against costs in Southern California, will shift container ships now calling at the Port of Los Angeles to the Port of Seattle, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal said the shift would begin in May but details on the size of the shift were not immediately available.

Officials at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have grown increasingly concerned about competition from other West Coast ports as environmental restrictions and fees have increased at the Southern California ports.

Container traffic at the Port of Los Angeles fell 17.4 percent in the first quarter.