Port Performance 2026: The State of North American Cargo Flow

Container volumes at US ports this year have held relatively strong this fall and yet congestion at the major gateways in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, New York-New Jersey and the South Atlantic experienced only minimal congestion issues. This is in stark contrast to the supply chain disruptions those gateways experienced during the post-pandemic boom years of 2021-2022. Vessel backlogs this year were few, truck turnaorund times remained in a reasonable range, container dwell times at the marine terminals were manageable, and warehouses handled seasonal spikes in container volumes with relatively few issues. What lessons did ports and their supply chain partners learn during the post-pandemic rebound of US imports, and how did they incorporate these lessons into their operations? What infrastructure improvements have the ports made to enhance port productivity? Have the marine terminals implemented process improvements such as advance sharing of shipment information, trucker appointment systems and container peel piles? Where will the efforts of the ports and their stakeholders be focused in the months ahead to keep the momentum going? This webcast, led by Journal of Commerce Senior Editor Bill Mongelluzzo will feature insights from port representatives from the four corners of the US.

Moderator:

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor-West Coast, Journal of Commerce by S&P Global

Speaker(s):

Jeff Bellerud, Chief Operations Officer, The Northwest Seaport Alliance

Joel Britt, Vice President-Terminal Operations, South Carolina Ports Authority

Dr. Noel Hacegaba, Chief Operating Officer, Port of Long Beach

Beth Ann Rooney, Port Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

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