10/7/2015

West Coast Ports Congestion Update

In spite of progress made to reduce congestion challenges at the various U.S. West Coast ports, cargo/containers moving through the Ports of Oakland, Seattle & Tacoma continue to experience extended delays.

The combination of limited terminal operations space, shortage of chassis, some carriers “skipping” Oakland for the time being and serious attrition among container transport drivers, each contribute to the severe and costly delays. Many drivers, frustrated over the multi-hour waiting lines to recover empty containers and to deliver export containers, have opted to relocate to other port cities or take on long-haul jobs, bringing the number of drivers to a critical low.

The U.S. East Coast ports north of Norfolk, remain affected by delays also, in particular the Ports of New York/New Jersey.
As it relates to Oakland, there is hope on the horizon. However, the enormous infrastructure
initiatives undertaken with Federal, State and local funds, involve some 360 acres of additional space with near dock access and multi-modal services including a planned 16 parallel tracks for intermodal operations. The “Oakland Global” project is scheduled for completion in 2019.

Please refer to your assigned CS Representative if you have any questions about these.

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