Los Angeles, Long Beach Postpone Container Dwell Fee Another Week

San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay
Stacked containers at the San Pedro Bay port complex. Photo: Chris Valle Photography.

The Long Beach and Los Angeles seaports have again moved the start date for implementing a costly fee for containers that linger at terminals too long.

The Southern California ports announced Feb. 25 that they’ll consider delaying the enforcement of their “Container Dwell Fee” to March 4.

As in previous weeks, both of the ports’ directors will reevaluate enacting the fee after reviewing the week’s data to see if ocean carriers are making progress on the amount of cargo staying on the docks. Since announcing the fee Oct. 25, the ports have reportedly seen a 69% drop in older imports sitting in terminals.

The policy calls for ocean carriers to pay for every import container that lingers at a terminal for nine or more days. That’s $100 per container, rising in daily increments of $100 per container until it departs the terminal.

Revenue from the fees would go to programs that improve cargo efficiency and ease congestion.

By Karen Robes Meeks