Spotlight
West Coast port pressures build
Rail container dwell times at some terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are close to double what they were earlier this summer amid booming imports , and some customers are concerned the dwells could bloat even further as the largest US port complex enters its busiest time of the year . Port users say rail dwells and spot chassis shortages could become an issue during the remaining two months of the peak shipping season if Southern California ’ s already busy docks see extra business because of a threatened longshore strike on the East and Gulf coasts , rail woes in Canada and rail congestion issues in Tacoma , Wash . Dwell times vary by terminal based on the carriers they serve and volume of intermodal rail traffic those carriers generate ; average rail container dwells across the Los Angeles – Long Beach port complex increased to 5.66 days in July from 4.73 days in June , according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association ( PMSA ), which represents terminal operators and shipping lines . According to the Port of Los Angeles website , almost 28 % of the rail containers at the port ’ s six container terminals were seeing average dwells of nine days or longer as of Aug . 26 . “ That ’ s far too long ,” Gene Seroka , the port ’ s executive director , told the Journal of Commerce . “ I want to see dwells of two to four days .” Meanwhile , rail operations in Canada restarted Aug . 26 after rail unions unsuccessfully challenged federal binding arbitration to resolve the contract dispute .
LA-LB rail container dwells rose in July amid import rush Average number of days local- and rail-delivered containers spend at Los Angeles and Long Beach port terminals
15
Days
10 L
5
0 0
L Aug , 2022 Jan 2023 Jul
Jan 2024 Jul
Local container dwell time Rail container dwell time
Source : Pacific Merchant Shipping Association © 2024 S & P Global
Chizhevskaya Ekaterina / Shutterstock . com cargo theft groups operating in the US within the next three years ,” Ramon told the Journal of Commerce . Electronics led the list of products targeted by thieves , accounting for 23 % of the thefts recorded by Overhaul . And 45 % of overall thefts occurred in one state : California . More specifically , 36 % of thefts in the first half occurred in Southern California .
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North American cargo crime on upswing
Cargo theft continues to climb in North America , rising 49 % year over year in the first half of 2024 , as thieves become more organized and better at targeting highvalue goods , according to Overhaul , a global supply chain risk management and intelligence firm . The financial toll of cargo crime is soaring , too , with the average loss per incident jumping 83 % year over year to $ 115,230 . And Danny Ramon , director of intelligence at Overhaul , said the situation is going to get worse before it gets better . “ I ’ d be very surprised if we don ’ t wind up with another one or two large strategic
Portland not giving up on containers
The Port of Portland hopes to have a third-party operator agree to run its container terminal by early next year as the gateway looks to provide consistent container service to Oregon ’ s shippers and stanch the losses it has incurred while running
6 Journal of Commerce | September 9 , 2024 www . joc . com