Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach form joint stakeholder groups

The first of seven groups will meet early next month to discuss issues surrounding the upcoming peak season.    The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach said they have created several working groups made up of their stakeholders, including shipping lines, cargo owners, labor, railroads, trucking interests, equipment owners that will seek to improve efficiency and make the two ports more competitive. A total of seven groups have been formed, according to a joint statement from the ports.
   The first of these groups will meet in early June. It will focus on issues surrounding the 2015 peak shipping season and “drill down on this year’s peak demand needs at the port complex,” the two ports said.
   The remaining working groups will focus on issues of container terminal optimization, chassis, off-dock solutions, key performance indicators/data solutions, intermodal rail, and drayage.
   Los Angeles and Long Beach said their effort at “supply chain optimization” stems from an agreement approved by the Federal Maritime Commission earlier this year that allows the neighboring ports to discuss “new efficiencies and other improvements that would improve the ports’ business competitiveness, environmental sustainability and security.”
   Meanwhile, vessel congestion remains low at the Southern California ports, according to the latest information from the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
   The exchange said on Wednesday there were no containerships waiting for berths at either port for the fifth day in a row. There were two general cargo ships and three bulk ships at anchor.
   The accompanying graphic shows the dramatic rise and fall in the number of ships at anchor since October. Congestion at the ports became a serious issue during the acrimonious labor contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association.