Containership delays hit three weeks on the transpacific

With delays hitting three weeks on the transpacific trade the analyst it was the worst case of US port congestion on record and adding significant extra costs for lines which are having to deploy extra vessels. So far lines have deployed 36 additional vessels on the trade with a total capacity of 233,000 teu.

“This extra tonnage is needed to maintain sailing schedules and to re-position container equipment, currently stuck in US ports, back to the Far East,” Alphaliner said in its weekly report.

The dispute over a new labour contract for dockworkers at US West Coast ports has now dragged on eight months since the previous deal expired in June last year.

“Problems in the US West Coast are expected to worsen in the coming weeks, as negotiations of a new labour contract are ongoing,” the analyst warned.

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