China - Europe Cargo Rail Services From the Guardian: The longest rail link in the world and the first direct link between China and Spain is up and running after a train from Yiwu in coastal China completed its maiden journey of 8,111 miles to Madrid. The railway has been dubbed the “21st-century Silk Road” by Li Qiang, the governor of Zhejiang province, where Yiwu is … [Read more...]
From Officials of LA/Long Beach: 3 Months to Clear Congestion
From Officials of LA/Long Beach: 3 Months to Clear Congestion On Tuesday at the 15th annual TPM [Trans Pacific Maritime] conference, top port officials said that it will take three months for the nation’s two busiest seaports to clear the backlog of thousands of cargo containers. From Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, it will take about three … [Read more...]
West Coast Ports: Most Now Have Normal Operations
West Coast Ports: Most Now Have Normal Operations Most West Coast ports were busy with activity this week as full crews were ordered by the marine terminals. The ILWU dispatch halls are filling all of the orders. Craig Merrilees a union spokesman said: “ILWU members up and down the coast are working to load and unload vessels as quickly and safely as possible.” The PMA … [Read more...]
Congestion Recovery: 2 to 3 Months
Congestion Recovery: 2 to 3 Months Since the recent contract agreement with the ILWU and PMA, the long process begins for the West Coast ports to recover from the backlog of containers and vessels that have inundated their operations the past several months. From JOC: Industry experts agree that it will take months for Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma … [Read more...]
Tentative Deal Reached for U.S. West Coast Ports
Tentative Deal Reached for U.S. West Coast Ports The ILWU and PMA reached an agreement late on Friday February 20th. After more than nine months of bargaining, there is a contract agreement for five years - though the details of the agreement were not yet available. The contract must be ratified and the process could take several weeks. ILWU President Robert McEllrath … [Read more...]