More than 1,800 employees confirmed to be infected! Western US ports are in trouble again

At the beginning of this year, the news that more than 800 employees of the West Coast Port of the United States were unable to go to work normally due to the epidemic caused concern from the outside world about the port.

As one of the most important ports in the world, the operation of the West Coast Port of the United States affects the operation of ships on major routes and the transportation of maritime cargo. Although the relevant person in charge previously stated that the work of the port has not been affected by the confirmed cases, the number of confirmed cases in the West Coast Port of the United States has increased again recently.

According to Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, more than 1,800 dock workers at West Coast ports tested positive for COVID-19 in the first three weeks of January 2022, exceeding the 1,624 cases in all of 2021. Port officials said that although the port congestion problem has been alleviated due to the stagnation of imports during the Spring Festival and corresponding measures, the resurgence of the epidemic may cause the problem to reappear.

McKenna also said that after the number of cases peaked last week and began to decline, the availability of labor for dock workers has been greatly affected. Skilled operators are particularly important to the overall efficiency of the terminal.

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said that the situation in March this year will be different and we will not see a sharp drop in imports. This has also eliminated people's concerns about the transportation of cargo at the port to a certain extent.

Under the epidemic, congestion problems have repeatedly occurred at ports in the western United States, and congestion is also an important reason for the increase in freight rates. Therefore, carriers are also very concerned about the problems of this port.

However, compared with the long-term forecasts of relevant officials at the Port of Los Angeles, Matt Schrap, CEO of the Port Freight Association, said that the combined effects of labor shortages, shortage of racks, too many empty containers and excessive imports are leading to increased port congestion.

As we enter 2022, problems at ports in the western United States still need to be resolved. If the epidemic situation in the area is alleviated, the port's operating rate will inevitably increase simultaneously.

West Coast Ports

Employee diagnosed