North American ports

Demurrage and per-diem detention fees at gridlocked U.S. ports have turned into a multimillion-dollar hot potato. Cargo interests, truckers, ocean carriers and marine terminals are locked in noisy, seemingly nonstop argument over responsibility for the fees. It’s a complex problem with no easy solution — but plenty of finger-pointing.

With no clear path to prevent a recurrence of the crippling, nearly yearlong disruption visited upon West Coast ports and, as of this writing, no final ratification of a new contract by West Coast dockworkers, shippers are exercising their right of free choice and walking away.

Marine terminal operators, warehouses and truck facilities in California could be called upon to manage harmful emissions under the California Air Resources Board’s proposed Sustainable Freight Plan, according to a shipping industry representative.

In an attempt to ensure sufficient availability of chassis during the summer-fall peak-shipping season, the Port of Long Beach Thursday will meet with potential bidders interested in managing a peak chassis fleet.

Container traffic in Seattle-Tacoma returned to normal in April as the vessel and container backlogs that had developed over four months of labor slowdowns dissipated.

With diversions continuing in the aftermath of the West Coast labor negotiations, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach turned in a mediocre performance in April, with total container volume edging up 1 percent from April 2014. This compares against much faster growth at East and Gulf coast ports in April and year to date.

The delivering system for moving containers from mega-ships operated by carrier alliances to cargo interests and truckers is antiquated and must change immediately if ports are to conquer their congestion problems, according to John McLaurin, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.

Fruit exports from Chile and Peru are off to a promising start in 2015 thanks in large part to better weather and increasing demand from key overseas markets.

The Port of Savannah posted record container volumes in April, a potential sign that shippers who were once looking for a temporary haven from U.S. West Coast port disruption may have found a more permanent home on the East Coast.

Shippers are getting used to longer ocean transit times to the point that only 20 percent of U.S. inbound container freight really needs to be offloaded at the nearest possible port, a leading U.S. port director said.

East Coast and West Coast ports snatched a sizable share of the U.S.containerized import market from their West Coast counterparts in the first fourth months of the year, as shippers shifted cargo away from the congested gateways.

West Coast ports say they’ll have productivity back to normal by the end of May after more than four months of congestion, but, in the meantime, some shippers continue to struggle with delays and lost business.

The Port of Virginia is falling short. Record volumes and a return to profit in the past year have been matched with near-unprecedented congestion and user dissatisfaction, Port Director and CEO John Reinhart said Thursday.

While besuited port industry executives milled about hotel ballrooms at the Virginia International Trade Symposium Thursday, truck-driving men and women in shirtsleeves marched in protest on the streets outside.

Convinced that Oakland will return to normal operations by the end of May, port executives are looking ahead to the beginning of peak-shipping season this summer, and they will soon roll out a series of operational improvements to prepare for the next surge in cargo.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to dig out of the vessel backlog that has plagued the largest U.S. port complex since last fall. For the third consecutive day, the Marine Exchange of Southern California reported that no container ships were at anchor.

Legislation pushed by the third-ranking Senate Republican aims to keep Congress more in the loop on port congestion flare-ups and gauge how labor negotiations impact port performance.

Container traffic at the Port of Oakland increased 1.7 percent in April over the same month last year, indicating that the decline in business caused by labor issues the past seven months is probably over.

Vessel, yard and gate operations at West Coast ports are not yet back to normal after almost seven months of crippling congestion, but the ports and port users are confident that “normal’ will happen by the end of May.

Volvo Car Corp.’s plan for a $500 million factory in Berkeley County, South Carolina, is likely to generate additional automotive cargo for the Port of Charleston, which already is the primary port for BMW’s plant in the state.

Containerized imports through major U.S. port gateways hit record levels in March as West Coast ports disgorged shipments that backed up during weeks of gridlock, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report.

Container volume at Port Everglades rose 9.1 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, as growth in empty-container shipments outpaced an 0.7 percent rise in full 20-foot-equivalent units.

They’re a few months behind schedule, but Seattle and Tacoma are one step closer to solidifying their Northwest Seaport Alliance, after submitting a final draft of their agreement this week.

Port congestion and labor issues took a toll on West Coast port volumes in 2014, as West Coast ports lost market share and East Coast ports gained market share, according to a report by CBRE Americas Research.

Four super post-Panamax cranes that will span 22 rows of containers have been delivered to the Port of Houston’s Barbours Cut Container Terminal after a 73-day voyage from South Korea.

There’s a silver lining in every sky-high stack of containers — if you’re an expedited trucking company. For carriers that move goods quickly by any and all means possible, the container logjam that built up during the West Coast port labor dispute was simply a bonanza.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie refused to to sign legislation to withdraw his state from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and transfer its New Jersey duties to the state police.

Noting what could be the “new normal” at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Marine Exchange of Southern California said Monday there were no container ships at anchor, and none are expected to stop at anchor on Tuesday, either.

Seattle and Tacoma took a big hit in the first quarter as its market share among Canadian Pacific Northwest ports took a dive amid longshore labor disruption.

Senate appropriators last year derailed Congress’ attempt to give U.S. ports the $1.2 billion for maintenance dredging and berth work — as set by the Water Resources Reform Development Act — by coming up $100 million short for fiscal year 2015.

The Port of Oakland confirmed Friday that cargo handling will resume on the evening shift after the port was closed for the day shift for a rescheduled labor meeting. Normal operations along the vessels, in the yards and at the gates are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Pacific time.

Drivers who walked off their jobs on Monday at three harbor drayage companies in Southern California to protest alleged misclassification and wage theft returned to work Friday, according to a statement by the Teamsters-affiliated Justice for Port Truck Drivers.

The Port of Philadelphia reported a year-over-year increase of 2.3 percent in its first-quarter volume of full and empty containers.

A recently-awarded navigation project will likely further fuel continued Asia volume gains at the Port of Jacksonville, Florida.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach achieved a post-congestion milestone this week with no container vessels arriving at anchor on Tuesday, and again on Thursday, for brief periods.

Dayside operations at the Port of Oakland will be suspended Friday as longshoremen hold their monthly stop-work meeting to discuss union matters.

The Port of Miami experienced double-digit container volume growth in March. It’s just a hint of what’s to come, port officials say, as the port gears up for the opening of its deeper harbor this summer.

But the ports should recoup much of their lost market share next year and beyond if they address their congestion and labor problems, speakers at the Port of Long Beach Pulse of the Ports breakfast said Wednesday.

By most standards, congestion at the largest U.S. port complex is significantly less than it was during the winter, long truck turn times persist.