The Harbor Commissions that govern the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports on July 15 said that they would extend the temporary Container Dwell Fee Program to Oct. 26, roughly one year after the ports announced the fee as a way to combat the growing stacks of cargo clogging their seaports.
The fee calls for ocean carriers to be charged $100 for every import that stays on the docks nine or more days, rising in increments of $100 per import per day until the container is gone.
However, the ports have yet to collect on it. Since announcing the program last October, the ports have been seeing older imports leave terminals more quickly. Data released July 15 shows that there’s been a 25% drop in older cargo at both ports.
Leaders have been pushing the implementation date every week based on whether dwell time numbers have improved over the week. Currently, the start date on fee collection has been moved to July 22.