Congestion increases in US West Coast ports

The number of vessels anchored in San Pedro Bay awaiting clearance to enter the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has begun to rise again.

Congestion eased in June, when new quarantine restrictions partially paralyzed the port of Yantian, a major export hub in southern China. On average, during the month, the queue of ships in the bay consisted of only 10 container ships.

Market analyst John McKeown notes that inbound import traffic on average across major US container ports rose 32.5% YoY in June, compared with 52.2% growth in the previous month.

Queues had doubled by mid-July, according to the local maritime exchange, with more than 20 ships at anchor at the end of last week, awaiting berthing.

McKeown notes in his report that import traffic appears to be shifting towards US Gulf / East Coast ports.