spotlight: US west coast
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CALLS FOR URGENT INVESTMENT The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) is urging Congress to make an immediate and substantial investment in ports as part of the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan
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ccording to port industry leaders, investment is urgently needed to strengthen and modernise US maritime infrastructure and ensure that American ports remain competitive worldwide. “The consequences of decadeslong under-investment in maritime infrastructure are playing out in real time in the form of supply chain disruptions and delays that have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Chris Connor, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) president and chief executive recently. “Current disruptions will diminish over time, but with global trade volumes forecasted to increase, now is the time for significant and sustained federal investment in a stronger and more resilient port infrastructure.” Consensus for swift port investment spans political parties and a growing number of advocacy groups. American farmers, dockworkers and retailers agree the time for significant infrastructure upgrades is now. AAPA recently outlined the need for immediate port investment in a letter to President Biden. In addition, port leaders have testified before Congress and joined coalitions to urge action on federal funding. With trillions of dollars
in new spending proposed, AAPA will continue advocating for the greatest amount possible for port investment. “Spending one dollar on maritime infrastructure returns two to three dollars to the national economy in terms of jobs, growth and productivity,” said Connor. “Port funding yields a strong return on investment for American workers and will continue to help drive the nation’s recovery. Congress must act now.”
Talking time slots
Recent research on port congestion by a group of industry specialists, including Mikael Lind of Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and Chalmers University of Technology, has concentrated on the benefits of time slot management for ship departures and arrivals, with reference to experience in West Coast US ports. According to the research , Improving port congestion with time slot management for ship arrivals and departures, port infrastructures are finite resources that, when used at their limits, become easily disrupted. Recently, at the US West Coast ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland, vessel waiting times reached extraordinary levels, with some of the largest ships waiting nearly three weeks
to get a berth, the report suggests. “Globally, congestion in capacityconstrained ports will continue to occur. The disruption in the container port system in southern China, like in the US West Coast ports, is another example. “Due to the fundamental nature of global maritime trade, congestion travels across intercontinental supply chains, where for example the congestion on the US West Coast will be relieved by the emerging congestion at South China ports, but will bounce back to the US when the Chinese ports are operating at full capacity again. Record high freight rates reflect the current situation in the maritime sector. “This is a call for an expansion of the just-in time (JIT) arrival approach to incorporate a slot management concept that includes a dynamic view and management of JIT arrivals and departures.” The report suggests that during the congestion in Oakland, a large number of ships waiting to berth have been steaming in circles outside the port. The port rotations covering Long Beach and Oakland with a usual travelling distance of around 385 nautical miles between the two ports peaked at an average voyage distance for the larger container vessels of more than 1,600 miles.
BULK TERMINALS
international | SUMMER 2021
