Port of Oakland says ships are restoring calls to port

Return of carriers is a signal West Coast port slowdown is fading, according to the Northern California port.    The Port of Oakland said ships that had been bypassing its terminals in order to overcome schedule delays elsewhere have begun resuming weekly calls.
   “Ocean carriers plan to restore nearly all Oakland services by May. It’s a signal from the maritime sector that recent West Coast cargo delays are fading,” the port said in a statement.
   “Some vessels that were omitting Oakland have already started to return, and a look at schedules indicates that the rest will be back soon,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “This tells us that shipping lines are confident we’re recovering from the recent logjam.”
   Oakland said, “The two largest container carriers, Denmark’s Maersk and Geneva-based MSC have already resumed Oakland calls. The G6, an alliance of Asian and European shipping lines, has restored two services and plans to restore two remaining services later in April. By early May, published schedules show Asian alliance CKYHE vessels back on normal rotations that include Oakland.
   “More than two dozen vessels bypassed Oakland in January and February to make up for lost time,” the port added. “Their return is welcome on several fronts: Importers can again expect reliable import delivery; Exporters will have ships to take their cargo overseas. Vessel bypasses contributed to a 31.6 percent decline in container volume at the Port in January and February. Volume is expected to improve as carriers restore full service.”
   Oakland said the temporary service suspensions resulted from a labor-management dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association that slowed all West Coast shipping.
   “Vessels stranded for weeks at Southern California ports skipped Oakland to reach home ports – mostly in Asia – on time,” the port said.