Overview of delays at major North American ports including Los Angeles, Oakland, and New York

Recently, shipping companies have updated the latest situation on major port terminals in North America and intermodal transport. As a large number of ships are waiting for berths, please note that the arrival/departure and docking dates are constantly changing.

As of May 21, there are currently 22 ships (+2) anchored at LAX/LGB ports awaiting berths. Due to the surge in import volumes, all terminals are extremely congested and based on current forecasts, this congestion is expected to continue throughout the summer.

Due to the lack of space at the terminal, the time for changing the cargo arrival destination (COD) and container movement is restricted.

Customers are urged to continue to expedite their cargo pick-up and to notify customers of all COD requirements at least four working days before the vessel commences operation.

Demand for available labor, while improving, still impacts operations at all terminals, truck driver turnaround times, inter-terminal transfers, the number of appointments available per day for gate transactions, and delays in vessel operations.

There are still boats working at swap docks due to dock congestion. If OOG and overweight bookings are made, they are supposed to be on dock but end up at the wrong dock or UP off dock.

Hapag-Lloyd is currently facing extremely limited single empty return options at most terminals and is mainly confined to double trading. Delays in local truck traffic have been significantly reduced and are expected to continue to improve next month.

LAX/LGB rail operations continue to deteriorate at all terminals due to lack of rail capacity and trains on UP Rail. This is impacting intermodal operations at all open/close terminals.

As of May 27, there are currently 20 vessels (-3) anchored or adrift in the San Francisco Bay area. One of OICT’s five berths is scheduled to be operational by the end of May, with the three new cranes to be put into use.

Large import volumes coupled with labor shortages are the biggest reasons for continued congestion and delays in vessel operations . Although exports and empty containers have eased recently, congestion is concentrated on the surge in imports last month. Terminal imports are on average 50% higher than in previous months.

Vessels will be delayed to reduce dock time, make room for import cargo and keep the docks as open as possible.

All berths remain occupied due to further delays caused by changes in rotation, yard re-handling and re-supply of vessels.

There was no congestion at the berths this week, but two vessels were berthed as of May 21. Despite a slight increase in import dwell time, terminal yard utilization remained at a manageable level.

Empty containers continue to be an issue, additional loaded vessels are scheduled each week to help manage the growing empty container levels, and additional warehouse space has been procured within the port, which will provide truckers with another option to return empty containers. Gate turn times at the terminal are currently at acceptable service levels.

As of May 21, there are currently 7 vessels (+5) at anchor. There are a large number of import containers at the terminal and the volume continues to remain stable.

Intermodal rail volumes will now be shifted within 72 hours, with the exception of Atlanta, due to NS delays caused by congestion in the area.

Canadian port and rail delay updates:

Yard utilization rates at all Vancouver terminals were high due to increased import volumes . This is expected to continue into the third quarter. Vessel productivity and yard productivity have improved significantly.

Berth delays for VANs continue, however these delays have been reduced to 2 to 4 days. PRR yard productivity and berth utilization have improved significantly. Vessels are berthing without delay.

Operations at the Port of Montreal continue as a result of a five-day shutdown in late April that created a backlog of vessels . Yard utilization remains high, but all terminals are reporting strong productivity. Current rail dwell times have lengthened to 4.2 days.

Duration of stay at the port terminal:

Halifax – 4.9 days* Montreal – 4.2 days* Vancouver – 2.5 days Prince Rupert – 8.8 days*

Duration of stay at railway hubs:

Montreal – 1.3 days Vancouver – 5.2 days*

Multimodal transport:

Due to a surge in imports and severe driver shortages, some markets are restricted, estimated delivery times (note: delivery time refers to the time frame for ensuring truck capacity, not dwell time):

Market/Average over 12 days:

Los Angeles, CA (12 days +*) - Long Beach, CA (12 days +*) - Atlanta, GA (15 days) - Charleston, SC (12 days) - Norfolk, VA (14 days) - Savannah, GA (15 days)

Market/average over 7 days:

Baltimore, MD (10 days) - Boston, MA (7 days) - Buffalo, NY (7 days) - Charlotte, NC (8 days*) - Columbus, OH (7 days) - Dallas, TX (9 days) - Denver, CO (7 days*) - Houston, TX (7 days) - Jacksonville, FL (8 days) - Louisville, KY (10* days) - Miami/PT. Everglades, FL (7 days) - Philadelphia, PA (8 days) - Seattle, WA (10 days) - Tacoma, WA (10 days) - Salt Lake City, UT (7 days) - Memphis, TN (7 days*) - New York, NY (7 days*) - Portland, OR (8 days)

Market/Average 4 days+:

Birmingham, AL - Chicago, IL - Cincinnati, OH - Council Bluff, IA - Detroit, MI - El Paso, TX -Greensboro, NC - Greer, SC - Huntsville, AL - Indianapolis, IN - Laredo, TX - Minneapolis, MN - Oakland, CA - Pittsburgh, PA - Santa Teresa, NM - New Orleans, LA - Saint Louis, MO- Kansas City, MO

Trailer chassis:

Due to recent unprecedented import volumes, chassis demand has been high throughout the U.S. This demand has proven to be constant on 40-foot chassis and intermittent on 20-foot chassis.

To minimise any negative impact on the supply chain, customers are asked to take immediate steps to reduce the dwell time of containers and chassis leaving the terminal.

This includes all inland terminals and port terminals. If dwell times are not significantly reduced, truckers are likely to face significant challenges and delays in securing good chassis as long as import volumes continue to grow.

Insufficient trailer chassis in various locations:

Minneapolis (USMES) – Constrained on 40' chassis..

Chicago (USCHI) – Deficit on 40' chassis.

Detroit (USDET) – Deficit on 40' chassis.

Indianapolis (USIND) – Constrained on 40

Memphis (USMEM) – Deficit on 40' chassis.

Denver (USDEN) – Constrained on 40' chassis. Units going direct to ground.

Seattle (USSEA) – Deficit on 40' chassis.

Tacoma (USTIW) – Deficit on 40' chassis.

Los Angeles / Long Beach (USLAX/USLGB) – Deficit on 20'/40' chassis.

Railway Operations:

Please note: Current average dwell time for Hapag-Lloyd containers at several terminals/ramps. Includes MH, rail and truck transport.

New York, NY - Average 6.3 daysMMR New York (Elizabeth Marine Terminal-Rail) – Average 1.6 days*Long Beach, CA – Average 11.9 days*Los Angeles, CA – Average 7.6 daysCharleston, SC – Average 7.4 days*Savannah, GA – Average 6.0 daysNorfolk, VA – Average 6.4 days*Kansas City, MO – Average 10.1 days*Chicago, IL – Average 6.9 daysMemphis, TN – Average 4.5 days*Detroit, MI – Average 4.8 days*Dallas, TX – Average 2.6 days*

(Source: FBA Information)