US West Coast Port Situation
At the moment, there are large time delays as ocean vessels wait to get into the LAX, OAK, and LGB ports. Normal unloading times average 2-3 days. Currently, there is an estimated delay of one week, depending on the vessel size.
These delays are primarily due to the following reasons:
- Large number of positive COVID-19 cases among port workers
- General industry shortage of port personnel
- The upcoming holiday season
- Too few crane operators
- Chassis shortages
This is not a single ocean carrier challenge, this is an industry challenge.
Our concern for the near future is that the situation will only become more dire. More vessels are in transit already and delays will continue to increase. The situation will be intensified further by the trucker shortage that the industry is already facing.
In preparation to minimize the effects of these delays, we here at DACHSER are working closely and tirelessly with our contacts to check on drayage capacity, transit times, unloading updates, and potential demurrage charges.
Please schedule the picks ups of your container freight well in advance in order to avoid further delays at your supply chain, and to also avoid additional charges at the port, such as demurrage and detention. DACHSER are here to assist you during this time and to help arrange pick up options to help save you time and money.
We will do everything we can to keep you up to date on the status of your shipments as well as the situation in the ports. Should you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact your local DACHSER representative. Please visit our website, https://www.dachser.us to stay up to date on the current situation.
We also encourage you to sign up to receive our E-Newsletter to receive industry updates as soon as they become available. This can be done through our website: https://www.dachser-news.com/?lang=en-COM