Chilean truckers are striking today, blocking entrances to important roadways and accesspoints to ports. For this reason, some shipments could experience slight delays if moving in or out of the ports. Fortunately, operations should normalize by tomorrow morning, with the conclusion of the strike.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the movement of cargo in the region.
Port of Oakland terminals have proposed their own version of PierPass which they will call “OakPass.” However, when asked by the Federal Maritime Commission if the operations schedule of this “OakPass” will be shared with shippers, terminals responded no, an answer that did not sit well with Commissioners or shippers.
The AgTC reports that West Coast ports are taking action to improve their performance. With the harvest and holiday seasons approaching, the ports must be prepared to handle the influx of cargo or lose business to East Coast ports.
Below is a brief description of what each port is doing to improve performance:
The Port of Oakland has created a Port Efficiency Task Force that meets weekly to discuss ways in which the port can improve efficiency.
A system of rough weather is scheduled to hit Chile over the weekend bringing with it rain and snow. In response to the forecast, Chilean ports announced that after 3pm today any vessel may remain berthed through the storms.
While Chile is desperately in need of rain, the weekend weather may cause some flooding in lower areas and significant snowfall in the mountains. The storms may also cause delays in port activities and vessel sailings.
As reported by the AgTC, some West Coast ports are still struggling with congestion and backlog. With the limited availability of chassis, the entire unloading process takes longer and, as a result, terminals charge transaction fees and truckers charge stand-by fees for waiting at the gates.