Port of Long Beach leadership said Oct. 8 that it’s
addressing the months-long issue of cargo traffic congestion at its terminals
by, among other things, identifying key issues with tenants and key
stakeholders to seek solutions.
“This issue is on the top of my list right now,” Long Beach
port Chief Executive Jon Slangerup said. “I have convened a high-level
Congestion Relief Team to meet daily, seek solutions and solicit feedback from
our staff in the field.”
In conjunction with the Congestion Relief Team, port field
staff is said to be meeting regularly with customers and stakeholders to listen
to their concerns, collaborate on solutions and monitor performance.
The congestion is being blamed partially by the port on a
surge of larger ships that has taxed terminals at ports around the world to
move cargo faster.
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has also
established a subcommittee to focus on port efficiency and the port says it’s
also seeking an agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission to have
substantive discussions with the Port of Los Angeles on congestion and other
common issues of concern.
Slangerup says he has committed to issuing regular updates
to customers and stakeholders on the congestion issue.
“We will do everything we can to bring our partners who operate
and work at the terminals together to identify bottlenecks and implement
solutions,” he said.
