The visibility platform company for shippers and logistics service providers project44 has analysed data for supply chain, indicating that berthing delays are causing a huge build-up of export containers within port terminals and creating a big spike in container dwell times globally.
“Berthing delay is defined as the time it takes a ship between its arrival at anchorage until the time it is berthed to commence cargo operations. If there is a queue of ships waiting for a berth, the ships wait at anchorage until it is their turn to berth,” explains the company.
According to the latest data from project44, export containers at the Port of Los Angeles took an average of 11.85 days to be loaded on a ship between October and November 2021 while its twin Port of Long Beach took an average of 10.98 days.
With export containers taking about twice as long to move through US West Coast ports as import containers, project44 analysts claim that the problem appears to be getting containers off of docks and onto ships.