North American ports

The cargo surge that began with the COVID-19 recovery in mid-2020 forced US ports to develop a new playbook to cope with the unprecedented port and inland supply chain congestion that resulted, according to APM Terminals.

The Port of Mobile’s breakbulk dockworkers will go ahead with a strike against stevedoring firm CSA Equipment after a month-long cooling period failed to produce a new contract.

The backlog of empty containers at the Port of New York and New Jersey continues to drop, allowing the port to better handle the increasing volumes of freight being diverted from the West Coast.

Sources with knowledge of the Port of Oakland’s operations called Monday’s action by the ILWU an obvious attempt to exert pressure on stalled contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association.

Last week’s work action stirred up bad memories of negotiations in 2014–15, when locally initiated job actions over several months severely disrupted ports up and down the West Coast, resulting in huge losses for exporters.

The Port of New York and New Jersey and two of its marine terminals are funding further planning on a track project that would mean fewer delays out of the port.

The US Department of Transportation will provide record funding for 41 port projects, including infrastructure upgrades and emissions improvements.

The move to impose fees on long-dwelling containers comes as the import backlog at Port Houston has created truck queues outside its terminals and increased turn times for drivers.

The longer it takes for the ILWU and West Coast longshore employers to agree on a new contract, the threat of disruption grows and more cargo will be diverted elsewhere – some of it permanently.

Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s terminal arm is working with a developer to build a container facility at the Sparrows Point industrial park near the Port of Baltimore.

The inability to get past the jurisdictional issue in Seattle has now led some observers to conclude that contract negotiations between the ILWU and longshore employers on the West Coast are unlikely to be resolved this year.

South Florida Container Terminal will be handling more volumes after the start of a new trans-Atlantic service from the Mediterranean, with the CMA CGM Navegantes making its first call to Miami this week.

Reduced backlogs in Southern California due primarily to the diversion of cargo to the East and Gulf coasts have shifted the congestion problems to ports in those regions.

The deepening of Charleston’s harbor will enable the port to handle larger vessels that are carrying growing volumes of imports from Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent to the US East Coast.

Breakbulk tonnage has risen at Port Houston’s City Docks facility after the global oil price shock linked to the Russia–Ukraine war prompted an increase in active oil rigs in Texas.

The anticipated Q4 slowdown in Savannah and Charleston follows a busy summer for the two ports, with combined laden imports rising 9 percent year over year in the third quarter.

Port of Wilmington operator GT USA saw a major shake-up of its board as insider directors were ousted amid rising operating costs and loss of a major lawsuit.

The Port of Houston is weighing whether to hit shippers with an additional fee if they let their import containers dwell for excessively long periods as terminal space remains tight.

The Port of New York and New Jersey is close to releasing a revamped tariff that recalculates how it will levy a $100-per-container fee on ocean carriers who let empty boxes linger.

Two retired US Navy admirals are recommending that the national security impact of the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal ballpark project be considered more seriously.

The ports of Tampa Bay and Jacksonville were closed to all vessel and truck moves as of midday Wednesday as major Hurricane Ian approached the west coast of Florida.

The Port of Portland is on pace to recover approximately half of the volume it once handled.

The Georgia Ports Authority is lowering the number of empties carriers can store at its terminals and increasing fees for storing empties that exceed those allotments.

The Port of New York and New Jersey has seen an uptick in empty container sweeps by ocean carriers after its decision to impose a tariff aimed at empty boxes lingering in the region.

While the security guard contract is separate from the coastwide longshore deal being negotiated, officials are working feverishly to avoid a strike, given the possibility that dockworkers would honor any picket lines, thus shutting down affected terminals.

Technology intended to help shippers and forwarders manage arrival notice information might be the solution that federal regulators are seeking to bridge data gaps from carriers and terminals.

Improving the flow of cargo through marine terminals is the primary focus of many who want to implement long-term changes to the US supply chain in the wake of the chaos wrought by the pandemic.

The July spike in imports from Asia arriving at US East and Gulf coast ports overwhelmed some of those gateways with vessel backlogs and congested marine terminals.

New White House port envoy Gen. Stephen Lyons tells JOC Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi how transport providers and shippers can help accelerate the recovery of the US container shipping system as import pressures wane.

The Asia East Coast service will offer one of the fastest transits between the US Southeast and Asian ports, cutting a week of travel time for Jacksonville importers.

The US Surface Transportation Board has given CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile more time to reach an agreement with Amtrak over the restart of a Gulf Coast passenger service.

NY-NJ marine terminals have been almost constantly offering Saturday gates over the last two years to help move import volumes, but those gates have accounted for only about 5 percent of total truck transactions.

Shippers who move cargo through Houston say more needs to be done to address how exports are handled in the face of surging import volumes that have also sucked up truck, yard, and chassis capacity.

The dispute over job jurisdiction at Seattle's Terminal 5 (T5) was known to be one of the most contentious issues headed into negotiations between West Coast longshore labor and management, which began on May 10 and could continue well into the fall.

The South Carolina Ports Authority has started leasing new chassis from its Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal as it launches the first phase of its proprietary chassis pool program.

Year-over-year declines in import volumes amid weakening retail sales could help clear the queue of more than 30 vessels outside Savannah during the fourth quarter, according to the Georgia Ports Authority.

The US Department of Transportation has announced project grants designed to improve container handling at three ports, including the US’s largest gateway.

The Harbor Trucking Association says it will provide evidence to the FMC about the burdens that West Coast drayage carriers face in returning empties to Los Angeles–Long Beach marine terminals.

East Coast congestion continues to be a concern for carriers as more West Coast volumes are diverted, slowing cargo flow at East and Gulf coast ports.

The Port of New York and New Jersey saw a decline in rail volumes in the first half of 2022 as intermittent container embargoes at railroads and low trucking rates pushed shippers off the rails.