The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have delayed consideration of the “Container Dwell Fee” once more, until 20 December 2021.
The fee aims to charge ocean carriers for long-dwelling cargo on the docks of the twin ports and was initially announced on 25 October 2021. This marks the fifth time the decision has been delayed as the ports have seen a combined decline of 47% in ageing cargo.
Under this policy, ocean carriers are to be charged for each import container that falls into one of two categories. For containers scheduled to be moved by truck, ocean carriers could be charged for every container dwelling nine days or more. Alternatively, for containers moving by rail, ocean carriers could be charged if a container has dwelled for six days or more.
Carriers would be charged $100 per container, rising in $100 increments per container per day.
This policy was developed in coordination with the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, the US Department of Transportation, and multiple supply chain stakeholders in a bid to alleviate congestion at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The Port of Long Beach has also recently announced its container handling figures for November 2021 and predicted its container throughput in 2021 to surpass 9 million TEU.
In the first 11 months of 2011, the port has moved over 8.6 million TEU, already surpassing its current annual record of 8.1 million TEU set in 2020.
In November 2021, the port handled a total of 745,488 TEU, a decline of 4.9% compared to the same period in 2020, which was its strongest November on record.
