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Vessels waiting at LA/Long Beach ports back at record levelsVessels waiting at LA/Long Beach ports back at record levels

The queue of containerships waiting in San Pedro Bay to berth at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach is back at record levels again.

Marcus Hand, Editor

October 21, 2021

1 Min Read
MarineExchangetwitter
Photo: Marine Exchange of Southern California Twitter feed

Reversing a slightly improving situation for boxships waiting at the two key US West Coast ports in late September/early October the Marine Exchange of Southern California reported that there were 71 containerships at anchor or in hold area in San Pedro Bay as of 20 October. Meanwhile 33 containerships were at berth in the ports of LA and LB.

The number at anchor or in drift areas exceeds the record of 70 reported by the Marine Exchange on 21 September, at the same time there were 30 vessels at berth.

The record queues come at a time when the US government has pushed for ports to work 24/7 for the first time in an effort to clear the backlog.

In a Facebook post of Monday the Marine Exchange said: “We forecast elevated and record levels steady for the next 3 days.”

As of 19 October the number of containerships in holding areas, as all the anchorages are full, was 33, breaking the previous record of 29 on 20 September. Including vessels of all types there were 43 vessels in holding areas on Monday.

“Forty-three vessels in holding areas is 43 more than normal. The last time we had vessels in holding areas was 2004 when we had half a dozen due to a railroad issue,” the Marine Exchange said.

About the Author

Marcus Hand

Editor

Marcus Hand is the editor of Seatrade Maritime News and a dedicated maritime journalist with over two decades of experience covering the shipping industry in Asia.

Marcus is also an experienced industry commentator and has chaired many conferences and round tables. Before joining Seatrade at the beginning of 2010, Marcus worked for the shipping industry journal Lloyd's List for a decade and before that the Singapore Business Times covering shipping and aviation.

In November 2022, Marcus was announced as a member of the Board of Advisors to the Singapore Journal of Maritime Talent and Technology (SJMTT) to help bring together thought leadership around the key areas of talent and technology.

Marcus is the founder of the Seatrade Maritime Podcast that delivers commentary, opinions and conversations on shipping's most important topics.

Conferences & Webinars

Marcus Hand regularly moderates at international maritime events. Below you’ll find a list of selected past conferences and webinars.

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