Line-up of World's Major bulk Cargo Ports in Week 9 of 2024

US East Coast container port congestion grows as more shippers divert from West Coast.????

Congestion at East Coast North America container ports worsened as more ships diverted to avoid West Coast gridlock, further delaying the flow of goods to consumers and driving up costs, sources said Feb. 22.???

There were 31 ships anchored off the Port of Charleston, South Carolina, Feb. 22 while another 13 were waiting off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia. At the Port of Houston, 11 ships were anchored in queue to berth and near the Port of New York and New Jersey, nine ships were queued.?????

Port congestion at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex still overshadowed the East Coast, with 66 ships in queue to berth Feb. 22, down from a record of 109 ships on Jan. 9, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California. Platts cFlow data showed four ships anchored near the ports with one drifting nearby.

Other West Coast ports have reduced congestion during the Lunar New Year slowdown in China earlier in February. There were nine ships in queue at the Port of Vancouver and six ships waiting to berth at the Port of Oakland, while Seattle-Tacoma had eliminated its queue by Feb. 22.

?The longer voyage from Asia to the US East Coast through the Panama Canal loses its appeal if wait times for transit are long at arrival, however, shipping lines are looking to increase rates on the route in March with increased demand. The route was assessed at $11,000/FEU Feb. 22, more than doubling the $5,300/FEU level assessed a year prior.???