USA LCL Export & Import Service Delays
Stockwell International Inc has received information regarding the current operational situation occurring in the US.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, some warehouse are experiencing labour shortages. In addition, weather conditions in some areas of the country have delayed operations.
Terminal Updates:
Due to increased volume and labor shortage, most terminals are experiencing congestion issues, including Los Angeles/Long Beach, Savannah, Charleston, Miami, Houston, Seattle.
Each month, high cargo volumes continue to enter the U.S., with all North American ports facing berth congestion.
As a result of the port congestion on both coasts, SSL ONE has implemented some changes to Transpacific Services with temporary omissions in Savannah, Oakland, and Halifax.
U.S. East Coast:
New York/New Jersey: Vessel wait time up to 2 days due to high import volume, one crane down at APM Terminal, and Holiday closures.
Philadelphia: Vessel wait time up to 2 days due to certain high import volume and labor shortage.
Savannah: Vessel wait time is two days due to off proforma vessels and high import volume, plus weather events and labor shortages. Carriers are advancing cut-offs with little to no notice, impacting operations.
Charleston: Vessel wait time up to 4 days due to labor shortage, high import volume, and weather events.
Port Everglades and Miami: Vessel wait time is 1-2 days due to high import volume causing a CFS Backlog. Equipment shortages are resulting in pick-up delays. Allocation and blank sailings are affecting the services out of MIA.
U.S. West Coast:
Long Beach: Vessel waiting time is up to 44 days due to high import dwell and labor shortages. TTI Terminal yard utilization is at 83% capacity.
Los Angeles: Vessel waiting time is up to 28 days due to yard congestion, high import dwell, and labor shortages. APM yard has 86% of the capacity used.
As of November 2021, the Port of Los Angeles processed almost 10 million TEU’s in 11 months, an increase of 18.7% compared to the same period of 2020. Empty containers demand Trans-Pacific transit back to Asia increased 10.6%.
Seattle: 10-day vessel wait time due to high import volume and labor shortages. Container terminals are more congested, and many containers are stored for weeks in a closed area until truckers can pick them up. T18 terminal yard is being used at 110% of capacity. All operations are delayed about a month, and transit times are much longer than in previous weeks.
Oakland: up to 8-day vessel wait time due to high import volume, labor shortages, and one berth down.
U.S. Gulf Coast:
Houston: Waiting time is 2-6 days due to high import volume, labor shortages, and port congestion.
Rail Terminal Updates:
BNSF & UP/LAX/LGB: There is severe congestion. Limited gate capacity, restrictions, rail car shortages, and limited reservations continue, causing increased delays on import rail units. There is limited allocation at this time. In Los Angeles, containers wait an average of almost 16 days before being picked up.
Effective immediately, Hamburg Sud has stopped taking bookings for all cargo moving to Pier A in Long Beach. Consequently, no rail billing will be issued during this time from origins such as Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.
Chicago Rail Ramp: The rail facilities in Chicago are experiencing severe congestion due to dwelling containers and chassis shortages. G3 and G4 locations only allow ten open spots daily, causing a large backlog for containers to be picked up for imports. There are gate restrictions and lane suspensions, causing extended delays in pick-ups and deliveries. The rails continue to monitor in-gates with allocation or reservations.
NY/NJ: Chassis shortage includes rail ramps due to the high increase in import volume.
Philadelphia: Severe chassis shortages in the Philadelphia area. Extended delays in pick-ups, deliveries, and drayage.
Charleston: Lack of chassis causing extended delays in pick-ups, deliveries, and drayage over to rail facilities.
Savannah: Continued congestion and delays at the local ramps. Shortage of chassis and equipment continues to affect operations.
Jacksonville and Miami: Congestion issues at both rails. The FEC rail closure last week delayed operations, causing elevated traffic volumes and increased terminal dwell time. The shortage of equipment in Florida has carriers struggling to keep the service due to a slower turnover of import containers coming into the area. Most loads have been delayed an average of one to two weeks.
Seattle: Congestion due to increased dwell for Import rail cargo. Up to 10 days delay for cargo going to Chicago. Most truckers are booked 2 weeks or more in advance with limited trucker capacity.
Houston/Dallas: There is a severe chassis shortage and ongoing congestion in the area. Finding truckers has become a challenge as they are booked for 2-3 weeks in advance.
Chassis issues are challenging in all regions in the U.S. This is due to the division of the intermodal system, the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the lack of additional capacity at different levels of the supply chain.
Equipment Availability:
There are continuous chassis shortages in Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, Nashville, and Louisville.
Equipment availability remains an issue at Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Memphis, Nashville, Omaha, St. Louis, South Florida, and Seattle.
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we get through this together.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your Stockwell International Inc representative, who will be ready to assist you at any time.
