Ports BRIEFS: Dwell Fee Postponed, EIS Released On Rail Facility, Everport Terminal Completed, POLA Sees Busiest March

Dwell Fee To Remain on Hold For Los Angeles, Long Beach

April 22, 2022 — The San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced today they will delay consideration of the “Container Dwell Fee” for another week, until April 29.

Since the program was announced on Oct. 25, the two ports have seen a combined decline of 49% in aging cargo on the docks.

The executive directors of both ports will reassess fee implementation after monitoring data over the next week. Fee implementation has been postponed by both ports since the start of the program. 

Under the temporary policy, ocean carriers can be charged for each import container dwelling nine days or more at the terminal. Currently, no date has been set to start the count with respect to container dwell time.

Final Federal Environmental Impact Statement Released on Rail Facility

LONG BEACH — The U.S. Maritime Administration has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement or EIS and Record of Decision, approving the planned Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a Port of Long Beach project designed to enhance the flow of cargo by rail.

Located southwest of Anaheim Street and the 710 Freeway, the planned $1.5 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility is the centerpiece of the Port of Long Beach’s rail improvement program. It will shift more cargo to “on-dock rail,” where containers are moved directly to and from marine terminals by rail, significantly reducing trips by trucks throughout the region. 

In December, the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration awarded $52.3 million to help fund development of the facility. Phase 1 construction, expected to be completed in 2025, will double the capacity of the existing Pier B rail yard. Street realignments and other component projects will continue to improve operations as they are finished.

The project is scheduled for full completion in 2032. No cargo trucks will visit the facility. View a video about the project here, www.youtube.com/watch?v/ Pier-B-On-Dock-Rail-Facility Details: EIS statement, www.tinyurl.com/EIS-statement 

POLA Completes Construction of Everport Container Terminal Improvement Project

LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles has completed construction of the $65 million Everport Terminal Improvement Project located at Berths 226-236 along the Los Angeles Main Channel.

The project allows Everport to improve the container-handling efficiency and capacity of its existing terminal to accommodate the projected fleet mix of larger container vessels anticipated to call at the Everport Container Terminal over the next two decades

Port Reaches Busiest March on Record

LONG BEACH — The Port of Long Beach reached its busiest March and its most active quarter on record as long-dwelling cargo continued to move out of marine terminals.

Dockworkers and terminal operators moved 863,156 twenty-foot equivalent units of container cargo last month, up 2.7% from the previous record set in March 2021. Imports increased 4.7% to 427,280 TEUs, while exports declined 18.3% to 114,185 TEUs. Empty containers moved through the Port jumped 10% to 321,691 TEUs.

The port delayed the start of a “Container Dwell Fee” that would charge ocean carriers for containers that remain too long on the docks. Still, the San Pedro Bay ports – Long Beach and Los Angeles combined – have seen a 49% decline in aging cargo on the docks since the program was announced on Oct. 25.

The Port has moved 2,460,659 TEUs during the first quarter of 2022, a 3.6% increase from the same period in 2021. It was also the Port’s best quarter overall, breaking the previous record set during the fourth quarter of 2020 by 54,649 TEUs.