Alternatives to LA-Long Beach Ports
Other West Coast Options
Oakland is open for diversions from LA-Long Beach. Oakland does not have a chassis shortage and they have not had vessels anchored and waiting days for berths.
From JOC from Maritime Director John Driscoll:
“We’re aggressively marketing Oakland as a key hub for West Coast and intermodal cargo. We’re seeking long-term relationships with shippers who value high productivity and good intermodal connections.”
Prince Rupert Port in Canada is preparing for a surge of new customers brought on by the congestion in LA-LB. The port authority has previously stated:
“We have four trains of additional capacity ready to go.” he said, noting that equals 2,600 TEUs of additional rail capacity, with rail being the only way to move cargo into our out of Prince Rupert. He said current terminal dwell times are in the two to three-day range.
Gulf of Mexico Region Ports:
Port of Lazaro Cardenas in south-central Mexico – KCS Kansas City Southern Railway shared that [from JOC]
using Lazaro Cardenas would extend the trans-Pacific supply chain to the Gulf region by two days compared to shipping through the giant Southern California port complex but would be 18 to 20 percent cheaper.
He noted there are eight to 10 line-item costs, including U.S. harbor maintenance taxes on imports, that shippers wouldn’t have to pay by shipping through Lazaro Cardenas. “We think the cost savings help to offset the two-day time difference it would take for goods to reach the Gulf” versus shipping through Los Angeles-Long Beach, Ottensmeyer said.
These are the other ports that are willing and able to handle diversions from LA-LB ports and handle future shipments.
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