Photos: Los Angeles And Long Beach Ports Witness Record Breaking 147 Ships

Over the previous week, the number of ships waiting to undock at the ports in Los Angeles (LA) and Long Beach (LB) has increased by about 10. These ports, on Friday, had 65 cargo vessels stuck at anchor and in the drift areas waiting to dock and unload. The ports that are a primary thoroughfare for imports between the US and Asia, had 147 ships in the locations – yet another record-breaking number. This included 95 heavy cargo vessels on Friday, setting a new record.

Image Credits: Marine Exchange of Southern California

Port data from Los Angeles showed that the average wait time for vessels now is approximately 8.7 days – almost 2.5 days longer than what it was taking around the same time in the previous month. Until now, the ports have managed nearly 862,000 imports this year.

The locations reached a new record for the number of ships waiting at the port and also the fleet of container ships waiting to undock throughout last week.

Click To Enlarge | Image Credits: Marine Exchange of Southern California

As delays in shipping continue to surpass levels recorded in the early pandemic phase, the ports have now reached seven new records. When the ports hit an all-time high around the end of August 2021, it was the first time from February, when the onset of ongoing Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns and panic-buying wreaked havoc on global supply chains.

The usual number of container ships waiting to anchor is around zero or one. The standard time for ocean freight to make door-to-door rounds has gone up 43% from 2020 to 71.5 days from 50 days.

Click To Enlarge | Image Credits: Marine Exchange of Southern California

Shipping costs have also skyrocketed. Last week, it had been reported that the price for transporting a 40-foot container between America and Asia went up 500% from around this time in 2020 to $20,586.

The ports are encountering backlogs owing to pandemic-related challenges and subsequent labor shortages coupled with consistent spikes in demand.

Image Credits: Marine Exchange of Southern California

Executives have already predicted and warned that the unprecedented increase in transportation costs is likely to increase the shortage of goods and result in price hikes. Scott Price, the UPS president, has reportedly said that the enterprise anticipated that the supply chain snags are expected to go on through 2022. In the meantime, many firms have begun raising prices to offset transportation costs.

Reference: businessinsider.in

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Source: Maritime Shipping News