Send those imported consumer goods
On the one hand, global warming is rapidly getting worse, on the other hand…
Southern California is dealing with a traffic jam unlike any other, as a record number of container ships have been stuck waiting in the waters outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to unload cargo.
The bottleneck this week at America’s busiest port complex is the result of a shortage of trucks and drivers to pick up goods, coupled with an overwhelming demand for imported consumer products.
Let’s import all the things! Let’s ship stuff back and forth so that we can dump ever more carbon into the environment!
As of Wednesday, 62 container ships were waiting offshore to unload cargo, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.
The backup of ships has grown since last week, when 60 ships were waiting to unload. On Sunday, there were a record 73 cargo ships waiting to enter the ports.
…
With the peak shipping period getting under way as the holiday shopping season approaches, in recent weeks the ports have been setting new records for ships in port almost daily. Traffic has been rising since last summer amid a pandemic-induced buying boom that created a backlog at both ports and overwhelmed the workforce, some of whom were themselves recovering from Covid.
Meanwhile, on another channel, the climate emergency gets worse every day.
“The port of Long Beach is prepared to take bold and immediate action to help the supply chain move the record cargo volumes that keep our economy moving,” said Mario Cordero, the executive director the the port.
And our planet heating.
That is a lot of ships….
Each ship will be running generators, usually four or more (each unit capable of supplying a twelve storey building). That is a lot of fuel burnt. Good job they are offshore, or the pollution would be visible.
Being at anchor for days is less stressful than navigating off the coast but can quickly become very tedious. The crews cannot leave the ships, as shore leave cannot happen until clearance is granted by Customs and Immigration.
For the crews it can also be a worrying time. Any delays in the schedule can affect when they sign off or have their flights home rearranged or cancelled. The USA was not a particularly easy place for non-US nationals to disembark or join a ship, at the best of times. Many companies preferred not to change crew there and waited until the ship returned to Europe or Asia.
The California ports I went to (Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco) were never the most efficient, and certainly I remember the attitude of the stevedores and port management ranged from grudging assistance to downright hostility. Problems included: strikes called for no reason; tried to stop us loading stores or food supplies; items stolen; work-go slows; refused to do their jobs properly, putting safety at risk. Throw in the bloody-minded Immigration and Customs, who thoroughly enjoyed messing us around, and two hour long US Coastguard inspections, and ports that would not let us leave the ship as that meant trespassing on their private property (Oakland especially). We just preferred to get in, and get out as soon as possible.
There are other ports available, I wonder why they haven’t diverted some, or are the other ports also backed up?
Seattle isn’t backed up, except at the grain terminal, which often has two or three ships waiting because it can handle only one ship at a time. I see an occasional cargo ship or two waiting out in the Sound, but not more than that (except during the Suez Canal snafu).
I would guess that LA and Oakland are much better connected to continent transportation routes than Seattle?
Probably not Oakland – Seattle/Tacoma is #5 in the country and Oakland isn’t. LA and next door Long Beach are 1 & 2.
Ah. You are right. Forgot how important Seattle is!
It definitely handles a LOT of cargo. I was on a bus on a bridge over Harbor Island the other day and noticed how solidly packed it was with containers. A whole new set of giant cranes arrived here a few months back; I saw them on their way in.
It’s interesting that they can’t get enough trucks when it seems like the trucks coming through the middle of the country on the east/west highways are more abundant than ever. Getting to or from Lincoln means navigating long lines of semis going slower than the speed limit (at least until someone tries to pass them; some will gleefully speed up as fast as the speed controls on the truck will let them).