Container Shipping Quarterly
Special Report
A ‘ disruptive ’ peak
US exporters navigating inland delays amid ag shipment growth
By Laura Robb
Still , agriculture exports have been growing . In August , the most recent month for which data is available , containerized US agriculture exports rose 12.5 % year over year , according to PIERS , a sister product of the Journal of Commerce within S & P Global .
“ There isn ’ t a fundamental difference in [ export ] volumes this year .”
The US export market is facing some operational hurdles amid peak season for some agricultural commodities , with shippers saying delays at ports and inland hubs are making it hard to secure equipment and hit berthing windows .
Described by sources as an ongoing problem growing worse , shippers and forwarders are reporting slowdowns at several inland gateways , including Minneapolis and Omaha , that are linked to seasonality , equipment placement , labor disruption and carrier behavior .
“ There isn ’ t a fundamental difference in [ export ] volumes this year ,” said Peter Friedmann , executive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition ( AgTC ). “ What is more difficult , however , is that in some markets we have carriers engaged in blank sailings , slower sailings and less service .”
According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis , westbound trans-Pacific vessel schedule reliability had been mostly improving since February , reaching 64.8 % in August . In September , however , it dropped to 63.6 %, marking the first reduction since April .
In addition to inland bottlenecks , exporters point to hurdles faced on a terminal-by-terminal basis , especially at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach .
“ We are seeing a lot of instability in the sailing schedules and heavy congestion on West Coast routings due to all the diverted cargo ,” said a non-vessel-operating common carrier ( NVO ) close to the export trade . “ The main challenge right now is poor rail service , especially to the US West Coast , and problems with vessel schedules and space . It ’ s temporary but very disruptive .”
Containerized US agriculture exports rose 12.5 % in August . Shutterstock . com
24 Journal of Commerce | November 18 , 2024 www . joc . com