Vessel backlogs outside the San Pedro Bay continue to ease as the Port of Long Beach Executive Director reinforced his call for 24/7 operations.
According to the most recent operations report from the Port of Angeles, vessels waiting to berth outside the San Pedro Bay has declined to 77, down 12 ships since PTI’s last update on 7 February.
This followed the Port of Long Beach’s virtual ‘State of the Port’ address which saw Executive Director Mario Cordero call for a shift towards 24/7 operations in a bid to aid the entire goods movement industry.
A 24/7 gate model has already been tested at Long Beach but “was not successful to implement a full program,” according to German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd in a previous North American update.
The move was heavily publicised after President Joe Biden announced it as one of his initiatives to tackle supply chain challenges.
“We continue to debate the same issues year after year, while the operational model remains the status quo – never changing,” said Cordero.
“The test is not in how many containers we move but in how we transform and build a port that benefits everyone.”
Later in the address, the Executive Director also announced that a soft launch is scheduled for the port’s new “Supply Chain Information Highway” at the end of February 2022.
This data-sharing tool aims to maximise efficiency by tracking cargo across various modes of transportation.
“Despite challenges in the global economy, it’s been an incredible year for the Port of Long Beach,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.
“That’s thanks to all of our incredible workers at our ports. Everyone has been working extremely hard to make sure we meet America’s needs and efficiently move cargo in and out of our port.”
The Port of Long Beach closed 2021 by moving 9.38 million TEU, a 15.7 per cent increase on the previous record of more than 8.11 million TEU in 2020.
This cemented the port’s position on PTI’s list of ‘Top 5 Ports in the United States 2021’.
