Thursday October 14, 2021
To reduce backlogs
LA Port is in continuous operation
Ships are stowed in front of the port of Los Angeles in the US state of California, where many goods arrive from Asia. One of the reasons for the bottlenecks is the aftermath of the pandemic. In order to reduce the backlog of deliveries, the port of the metropolis now runs 24 hours a day.
US President Joe Biden wants to remedy the global delivery bottlenecks – the port of Los Angeles is now to be operated around the clock. “Traditionally, our ports are only open during the week, Monday through Friday, and are usually closed at night and on weekends,” said Biden. After negotiations by his government with trade unions, operators and freight forwarders, this is now changing.
“By opening seven days a week, night and weekends, the Port of Los Angeles will be open for more than 60 additional hours a week,” said Biden. The port of Long Beach, also in the US state of California, is already in continuous operation. The two ports are the largest ports in the United States.
One of the reasons for the bottlenecks is the aftermath of the Corona crisis. The delivery bottlenecks, for example due to traffic jams at ports and a lack of container capacity, are becoming increasingly noticeable. The backlog is to be reduced with the continuous operation of the two ports. “I know you hear a lot about so-called supply chains and how difficult it is to get a range of things – from toasters to sneakers to bicycles and bedroom furniture,” said Biden. He understands that this worries many people. The US retailer Walmart and the US parcel services UPS and Fedex have also agreed to work outside of their peak hours to unload or transport the goods.
“The commitments made today are a sign of great progress and that goods are getting from manufacturers to your stores or to your home,” said Biden. “We are not the post office or UPS or Fedex, we cannot guarantee anything,” said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki when asked whether, for example, Christmas parcels will arrive on time. “What we can do is use whatever resources the government can to reduce delays and make sure we remove bottlenecks in the system.”