Shipping Container Fines Delayed Again as L.A., Long Beach Ports Make Progress

LOS ANGELES, California — New fines for shipping containers left on the docks at the ports of Long Angeles and Long Beach have been delayed for a second time to November 29, as there have been signs of progress in the cargo crisis.

Earlier this month, officials were able to delay the imposition of the fines — $100 per container after nine days, increasing by $100 every day — to November 22 because of a 26% reduction in the number of such containers, as owners raced to collect them rather than pay the penalties. Now, the Seatrade Maritime News reports, the number of such containers has fallen 33%:

The two ports said that continued improvements in the numbers of long staying containers in port yards meant the $100 per container, per day dwell fee would not be introduced until 29 November at the earliest.

The fee developed with the Biden-Harris Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, US Department of Transportation was originally planned to be introduced on 15 November but was delayed until 22 November as the situation in the two gateway terminals started to improve.

Since the fee was announced on 25 October the two ports said they had seen a 33% reduction in “aging containers” on the docks.

The number of ships waiting to dock in San Pedro Bay has also fallen, from a record level last week of 83 at anchor to 61 at anchor this week.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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