Container dwell fee remains on hold

On 15 November, the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach said they would delay consideration of the fee until 22 November. This was delayed until 29 November but following meetings with US Port Envoy John Porcari, ocean liner companies and marine terminal operators, this has been pushed back once again and a decision is not now expected before 6 December.

Before the pandemic-induced import surge began in mid-2020, on average, containers for local delivery remained on container terminals under four days, while containers destined for trains dwelled less than two days. Now containers remain on dock for far longer, making it difficult to unload containers and bring ships to anchor.

Since the fee, which starts at US$100 per day per container, was announced on 25 October, the ports have seen a combined decline of 37% in ageing cargo on the docks but frustration remains within the industry with the French carrier, CMA CGM Group, announcing it will offer financial incentives to importers for removing containers, according to Bloomberg.

Other companies are taking a different approach with The Loadstar reporting that Walmart has created a ‘pop-up’ storage yard from empty space near the terminals so that containers can be stored away from the dock.