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LA, LB ports again delay fines for companies with idling containers
Long Beach Nov 22, 2021
Port of Long Beach. | Photo by National Renewable Energy Lab via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced Monday that their new “Container Excess Dwell Fee” on companies whose containers linger at marine terminals will be delayed again, now scheduled to go into effect if necessary on Nov. 29.
The fee, which was announced on Oct. 25, has been delayed due to progress reducing the number of port containers at the terminal, with the ports reporting a 33% decline in aging cargo on the docks. Over the next week, port officials will monitor and reassess the fee’s implementation.
“There’s been significant improvement in clearing import containers from our docks in recent weeks,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said last week, when the fee was also delayed.
“I’m grateful to the many nodes of the supply chain, from shipping lines, marine terminals, trucks and cargo owners, for their increased collaborative efforts.”
The fee is one of several efforts to speed the processing of cargo at the San Pedro Port Complex and eliminate a backlog of ships trying to deliver merchandise. The Port of Los Angeles said when it announced the policy that about 40% of import containers were idling at terminals for at least nine days.
Both Long Beach and Los Angeles’ harbor commissions unanimously approved the policy on Oct. 29, to be in effect for 90 days.
The fines, if implemented, will begin at $100 per container, increasing by $100 per container each day. Containers set to be transported by truck will incur fines if they remain at the port for nine days or more. For rail containers, fines will be assessed if they are at the port for three days or more.
Fees collected from the policy will be reinvested into programs that aim to enhance efficiency, accelerate cargo velocity and address congestion impacts.
The policy to implement fees was developed in coordination with the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Port of Long Beach and supply chain stakeholders.
