West Coast ports reopen to months-long backlog | Air Cargo World
Air Cargo World
Subscribe
  • News
  • Data & Tools
  • Events
    • Cargo Airport Growth Summit
    • Cargo Facts Symposium
    • Cargo Facts EMEA
    • Cargo Facts Asia
  • Multimedia
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Features
Friday, March 5, 2021
Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Airports
  • Carriers
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics
  • E-Commerce
  • Freight Forwarders
  • Technology
Air Cargo World
  • News
  • Data & Tools
  • Events
    • Cargo Airport Growth Summit
    • Cargo Facts Symposium
    • Cargo Facts EMEA
    • Cargo Facts Asia
  • Multimedia
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Features
Log In
No Result
View All Result
Air Cargo World
No Result
View All Result

West Coast ports reopen to months-long backlog

Randy Woods by Randy Woods
February 24, 2015
in Cargo Traffic
Reading Time: 2min read
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Pinterest

Following a nine-month-long dispute over an extended labor contract between port owners and longshoremen, 29 ports along the West Coast of the United States are back to full capacity when a new five-year contract was tentatively agreed to on Friday. Delays created by the temporary closures and repeated slowdowns at the ports over the last several months, however, have created a backlog that is expected to continue for at least six to eight weeks – possibly longer.

Because of the backlog, trans-Pacific airfreight charter business from Asia has soared as retailers desperately sought alternatives to seafreight to deliver virtually all types of cargo to the North American market. In some cases, rates for charter aircraft more than doubled and airfreight space became scarce.

Since Saturday, 20,000 workers under the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have returned to work at full strength to begin unloading the dozens of container ships that have been anchored at ports along the coast for the last week, waiting for the dispute to be settled. The accord came three days after the Obama Administration sent U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to help mediate a resolution between ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents the port owners.

The loss of the ports was felt most acutely by Asian auto manufacturers that needed to ship parts to factories in the U.S. and Canada, and were forced to resort to much more expensive airfreight. Japan’s Honda Motor Co. said its production targets are behind by 25,000 vehicles in February and that two of its facilities in Canada and Indiana will continue to experience delays until parts arrive on March 2. Toyota Motor Corp. said it had to reduce overtime at its U.S. factories.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation said its members had to shoulder the extra cost of storing millions of pounds of beef and pork in refrigerated units, and had to ship them by air. Others decided to use Canadian or Mexican ports.

Farmers represented by the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (ATC) said consumers in Asia should expect some shortages in crops such as oranges, potatoes and soybeans, with much of those crops suffering from spoilage upon arrival. An ATC spokesman said some farmers may have lost some Asian markets because of the delays.

At the West Coast’s two largest port, Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., the bottleneck is being described as the worst since 2004, when a rail delay halted cargo shipments for several days. Over the weekend, 35 container ships were anchored off the harbor, waiting for their turn to unload. The number of delayed ships in December was four, according to Bloomberg.

The American Association of Port Authorities said the delays have affected nearly every American business in some way, as about US$3.8 billion worth of goods move in and out of U.S. seaports each day, with the West Coast ports handling almost half of it; about 70 percent of the country’s Asian imports flow through the West Coast ports. Had the work stoppage continued, various manufacturing and retail groups estimated the cost to the overall U.S. economy at US$2 billion per day.

Tags: ilwulong beachpmaseafrieghtwest coast ports
Previous Post

India’s Jet Airways dips its toe into cargo business

Next Post

Finnair, IAG Cargo form partnership

Related Posts

Dozens of cargo flights canceled at LAX as COVID-19 takes toll
Cargo Traffic

February airfreight rate volatility creates risky environment for forwarders

March 4, 2021
UK government, forwarders clash over Brexit trade transition
Cargo Traffic

US air trade ends 2020 on a high, Cargo Facts Consulting finds

March 3, 2021
COVID-19 vaccine draws international cargo carriers to Grand Rapids [2]
Cargo Traffic

IATA: 2021 cargo traffic kicks off with annual growth despite short capacity

March 2, 2021
Next Post

Finnair, IAG Cargo form partnership

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Current Issue Magazine Cover

FROM OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Automotive industry transformation and tariffs have long-term implications for airfreight

Consultant Insight: Brighter days may be ahead for automotive supply chain

February 26, 2021
UN recruits 40 airlines to deliver vaccine to poorest states

Air cargo expectations adjust to vaccine shipment requirements

February 23, 2021
Delta to launch BOM-JFK 777 service beginning Dec. 22

Consultant Insight: Post-pandemic airline survival depends on transformation

February 19, 2021

SPONSORED

Apex reduces retailer lead times and costs—increasing air charters by 225%

Apex reduces retailer lead times and costs, increasing air charters by 225%

January 29, 2021
Delta Cargo introduces priority COVID-19 vaccine handling

Delta Cargo introduces priority COVID-19 vaccine handling

December 31, 2020
Executive Q&A with Manu Jacobs, Director of Specialty Products, United Cargo

Executive Q&A with Manu Jacobs, Director of Specialty Products, United Cargo

December 17, 2020
  • About Us
  • Help Center
  • Privacy Terms
  • ADA Compliance
  • Advertise

Follow Us

twitter twitter linkedin podcast

© 2021 Royal Media & Air Cargo World

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All News
    • Airports
    • Carriers
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Logistics
    • E-Commerce
    • Freight Forwarders
    • Technology
  • Data & Tools
  • Events
    • Cargo Airport Growth Summit
    • Cargo Facts Symposium
    • Cargo Facts EMEA
    • Cargo Facts Asia
  • Multimedia
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Subscribe
  • Log In / Account

© 2021 Royal Media & Air Cargo World

Go to mobile version