The revised schedules go into effect April 6 with eight of the port’s terminals ending Saturday hours, four discontinuing hours on Thursday night and one closing on Wednesday night.
In 2005, the international container terminals in the two ports established five new shifts per week: Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A traffic mitigation fee is collected for most cargo moving during peak hours — Monday through Friday, 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. — as an incentive to use the off-peak shifts and to cover the added cost of the shifts. The program is administered by PierPASS, a not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators at the ports to address multiterminal issues such as congestion, security and air quality. Now the terminals will each offer four, instead of five off-peak shifts.
PierPASS said that with the dramatic drop in cargo volume amid the economic crisis, terminal operators were forced to take measures to reduce their operational costs.
Details and a link to the revised schedule is available here.
