We have not seen passenger ships
In a customer advisory issued on Wednesday, Hapag announced that 16 services are being affected by the LA-Long Beach woes, including the Central China 2 (CC2) service, which is being suspended. In the January-August period, LA-Long Beach accounted for 26.2 percent of U.S. containerized exports and 40.8 percent of imports, according to PIERS, the data division of JOC Group.
Hapag pointed to an number of factors affecting the ports. It said several container ships are at anchor waiting in line for berths. Six vessels were at anchor off LA-Long Beach on Thursday at 7 a.m. East Coast time, down from seven on Wednesday afternoon and 11 on Sunday, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California, which noted that the backups are limited to container ships. “Not everything is congested; for example, we have not seen passenger ships, car carriers and general cargo affected,” Executive Director J. Kipling “Kip” Louttit told JOC.com.
Hapag said it's also facing “an acute shortage of trucking power,” which many others have cited in recent weeks as a disruptive factor at the ports. It also mentioned inadequate container-handling equipment, which results in containers not being ready for pickup even where terminal appointment systems are in operation. “The success of the import delivery appointment system at some terminals has been limited in part by a lack of sufficient container handling equipment to pre-mount those containers prior to the scheduled pickup appointment,” the company said. It said import customers and their motor carrier vendors “are encouraged to confirm availability of their cargo by checking the terminal’s website prior to sending a truck to the terminal in order to avoid a denial of service when they arrive at the terminal gate.”