November 2. 2026 | Page 13

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Projected annual imports of 25.8 million TEUs would equal the record set in 2021. Shutterstock. com to work through harbor backlogs means there is“ a distinct likelihood that port congestion in Asia will only be partially alleviated for the seasonal uptick in cargo prior to Chinese New Year” in early February, Alan Murphy, CEO of Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, warned in the firm’ s Sunday Spotlight newsletter.

Port-side pressures are meanwhile expanding on the other side of the Pacific in Southern California, and the pressure isn’ t letting up. In the first week of November, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach forecast a combined projection of 300,000 laden inbound TEUs. Port officials consider 200,000 laden TEUs a“ good” month.

Trans-Pacific volumes outpacing pandemic peak

Containerized US imports from Asia, in laden TEUs, with year-over-year change

TEU volume

2,000,000

1,500,000 1,000,000 1,000,000

500,000

60 %

40 %

100 20 %

-20 %

0 %

Year-over-year % change

“ Empty containers are accumulating faster than they are being evacuated,” Harbor Trucking Association( HTA) CEO Robert Loya told Journal of Commerce.

Loya said the drayage operators HTA represents are hamstrung by inconsistent policies governing the handling of empty containers at the terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach. This is limiting the ability of drayage operators to return empties to the terminals, fueling congestion that he says has been growing worse in recent weeks.

Also at fault, Loya says, are ocean carriers whose vessels are leaving Southern California without empty containers to bring back to Asia. Carriers were similarly accused of discharging imports in the US and immediately returning to Asia without empties in order to load fresh eastbound cargo and take advantage of the record rates that accompanied the pandemic volume surge.

Current spot rates from North Asia to the US remain near four-year highs, according to multiple rate indexes.

Terminal operators, however, dispute the notion that ships are leaving Southern California without empty containers and say their facilities are not backlogged to the point where port fluidity is being compromised.

“ At Yusen, carriers are evacuating the empties,” said Alan McCorkle, president and CEO of Yusen Terminals in Los Angeles.“ All of our ships are leaving fully profiled. They’ re full with imports and they’ re full with exports.”

Sal Ferrigno, vice president of SSA Marine, which operates three container terminals in Long Beach, said“ one terminal may be shorted [ skilled labor ] today and another tomorrow, but it’ s not like we’ re melting down like we did during COVID.”