25% more containers out of LA/Long Beach ports possible: ITS Logistics

Numerous factors could shift export trends

The Port of LA is likely to see an increase in volume. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

U.S. consumers are not as eager right now to open their wallets to purchase a lot, but that does not mean anticipated lower volumes cannot create any logistical hiccups. They still can.

Shippers are taking advantage of the longer transit around the Cape of Good Hope and the wait at the Panama Canal due to water restrictions. They don’t need the products, and they are more than happy to have their containers on the water and not racking up warehouse bills.

But while this present strategy is good, the attractiveness of longer transit times may start to wane for a variety of reasons.

The first is contract season. Paying more for a less productive route for a year may not make fiscal sense when you are heading into peak season.

The second is fears over a possible East Coast labor strike. Who wants to be locked in for a year with that threat looming? The labor contract between United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing employers at 36 ports on the East and Gulf coasts, and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union, which represents around 70,000 dockworkers, expires Sept. 30.  

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    3 Comments

    1. marvin j del cid

      yup climate is a really hoax i lost my job working for ports from LA&LB becouse of climate hoax l love califas but regulations are killin owner opp and anyone else trying to survive LA&LB regulations trucks?

    2. Peter Ely

      Very Good Article!
      I’ll give Paul a call and let him know where
      ITS Logistics can store all those excess containers for few days. ILWU will love more work and ILA will settle in a few days if any..

      Thanks for the update!

    3. Capt Okland

      The economy is in a recession and credit card debt is well past $1 Trillion.
      The peak season will not be much of a season.
      People are loosing their jobs as DC is working on making people poor and the climate hoax is still a hoax.

    Comments are closed.

    Lori Ann LaRocco

    Lori Ann LaRocco is senior editor of guests for CNBC business news. She coordinates high profile interviews and special multi-million dollar on-location productions for all shows on the network. Her specialty is in politics, working with titans of industry. LaRocco is the author of: “Trade War: Containers Don’t Lie, Navigating the Bluster” (Marine Money Inc., 2019) “Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers” (Marine Money Inc., 2018), “Opportunity Knocking” (Agate Publishing, 2014), “Dynasties of the Sea: The Ships and Entrepreneurs Who Ushered in the Era of Free Trade” (Marine Money, 2012), and “Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds” (Wiley, 2010).