West Coast Port Delays Continue as COVID-19 Cases Rise

West Coast Port Delays Continue as COVID-19 Cases Rise

As many of our customers know, U.S west coast ports have been backed up for various reasons. Although things were expected to ease up this month, there is still congestion off the West Coast due to rising cases of COVID-19 among international longshore workmen. There have been approximately 700 COVID infections out of 9,000 ILW staff members. Suntsu is dealing with these challenges to the best of our ability.

Congestion at these ports has caused delays from 10 to 14 days because the surge cannot be received fast enough. Import volumes were up by almost 50% in the second half of 2020, causing the massive surge during their COVID-19 outbreak. More than 33 vessels are still waiting for a berth at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports and storm conditions have only added to the problem.

There will continue to be schedule changes due to long and unavoidable delays in Asian and North American ports. Some carriers are cancelling services altogether to get their vessels back in their intended positions. Suntsu will keep updating our customers on the status of the situation.

The combination of COVID-19 issues and Chinese New Year is presenting a unique challenge to the shipping industry. We will continue to seek the fastest method(s) for importing and exporting product while keeping our customers updated.”   – Robert Rangel, Suntsu Director of Sales

We are doing everything we can to ensure our customers get their orders on time. Contact a Suntsu representative for more information on port delays.

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