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FILE PHOTO: Container ships and oil tankers wait outside the Port of Long Beach-Port of Los Angeles complex. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

More Ships Coming Than Going as Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Continue to Set Records

Mike Schuler
Total Views: 4613
September 20, 2021

The Marine Exchange of Southern California (MXSOCAL) reported new records again today as ships carrying your Christmas gifts and other manufactured consumer goods continue to pour into the nation’s top seaports at a rate that outpaces the number of departures.

On Monday, a total of 154 ships were in port at Los Angeles-Long Beach, marking a new record according to MXSOCAL. These include a record 97 containerships, of which 27 were at berth and the rest at anchor or in drift areas. A record 37 vessels were in drifts areas, including 29 containerships, six tankers, and two bulk carriers.

MXSOCAL said Friday that 46 vessels were scheduled to arrive over the weekend, which is 9 more than “normal” level of 37 based on pre-COVID levels in 2018/19. Of the 46 arrivals, 19 are containerships, two more than “normal” level of 17.

The number of ships in port at Los Angeles-Long Beach has been steadily rising since the end of August as peak shipping season kicks into high-gear, with new records for ships in port being set almost daily over the last two weeks.

To handle the influx, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach last week announced extended night and weekend operations to alleviate congestion that has been building since last summer as the economy bounced back from COVID-19 shutdowns.

Los Angeles and Long Beach are neighbors at the San Pedro Bay Port Complex and rank as the top one and two seaports in the United States, respectively. Combined, the ports move approximately 40% of all containerized cargo entering the U.S. each year and about 30% of all containerized exports

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