The average time that a cargo container stayed onsite at the San Pedro Bay ports before it was moved out was up last month compared with the previous month, according to numbers recently released by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.
Last month, containers sat at the ports for an average of 4.76 days, compared to 3.96 days in May. About nearly 24% of containers lingered at terminals for over five days before being picked up. Also, the average dwell time for containers departing by on-dock rail rose from 10.5 days in May to 11.8 days in June.
PMSA is attributing the higher container dwell time to recent record cargo volumes, which has affected the supply chain. The demand has caused unavailable warehouse space, equipment shortages and other bottleneck issues.
“Container dwell time is a vital metric to monitor because it provides an idea of the efficiency of marine terminal operators and the rest of the supply chain partners,” said Jessica Alvarenga, Manager of Government Affairs for PMSA. “The ports anticipate that back-to-school consumer demand and the holiday shipping season, which runs from July through October, will create additional congestion pressure. Our terminal operators and dock workers are doing a great job at moving record volumes despite the congestion hindering other parts of the supply.”
