Port congestion continues to rise as container ship queues grow off American coasts, particularly along the US East Coast and US Gulf Coast. As previously reported by Krieger Worldwide over the past two months, the East Coast has seen a large increase in import volume resulting in longer wait times and queues for container ships. Port congestion began to ease earlier this year particularly in Long Beach and Los Angeles, where ships waiting dropped from 109 in January to just 26 as of July 28, 2022 according to FreightWaves. However, queues have once again began to rise as of July 28, there are 153 container ships waiting off US Coasts, which is a 66% increase of ships waiting over the past seven weeks, the majority of which are waiting off US East Coast and Gulf Coast ports.
Ongoing congestion at ports is being further complicated by the aftermath of a trucker work stoppage and protest in California. As previously reported by Krieger Worldwide, California truckers protested the California Assembly Bill 5, causing significant delays at the Port of Oakland. CNBC reported that as a result of trucker protests, container wait times at the Port of Oakland have increased to 26.5 days, below is a current heat map of the supply chain in the US from CNBC (shared July 29, 2022). East Coast ports saw an increase in volume as a result of shippers seeking alternate routes to avoid the ongoing rail delays out of Southern California ports and in anticipation of possible delays caused by ongoing labor negotiations on the West Coast.
Krieger Worldwide expects continued delays as ports work to clear the backlog of queues amid the approaching peak season and supply chain disruptions in California caused by rail delays and protests. We will continue to monitor the ongoing supply chain challenges and keep our clients informed of critical information. Krieger Worldwide experts are working to strategize ways to alleviate our clients concerns through additional charter options, strategically using airfreight, storage options and more. Contact us today to discuss how Krieger Worldwide can help solve your logistics needs, together we can!
