- Supply chain woes mean a record number of cargo vessels wait off the Southern California coast.
- Pandemic-inspired shopping sprees and supply chain issues have led to a record backlog of ships stacking up off the SoCal coast.
- The backup at the ports, however, reflects a bigger issue that extends through the entire supply chain, touching everything from warehouse space to rail and truck efficiency.
Supply chain woes mean a record number of cargo vessels wait off the Southern California coast. One might have been part of the spill off Huntington Beach, says an article published on oc register website.
Regular & contingency anchorages all essentially full
They have names like One Owl and Martinique and Manila. They’re floating cities unto themselves, bobbing at anchor along the Southern California coast, waiting their turns to berth at some of the busiest ports in the nation.
“Regular and contingency anchorages all essentially full,” says the Oct. 5 report from the Marine Exchange of Southern California, one of the few public-private vessel traffic controllers in the nation. “9 of 10 Huntington Beach Contingency Anchorages occupied.”
Pandemic-inspired shopping sprees and supply chain issues have led to a record backlog of ships stacking up off the SoCal coast, eager to get into the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
While waiting, one of those ships may have dropped an anchor that snagged and snapped an oil pipeline, fouling Orange County’s prized beaches.
Those anchors can be as heavy as a loaded school bus. Think of it as tossing three African elephants over the side.
The nonprofit
Keeping all this floating traffic from colliding — or worse — is Capt. J. Kipling (Kip) Louttit, executive director, and his crew at the Marine Exchange of Southern California &Vessel Traffic Service Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The nonprofit, which contracts with the Coast Guard to provide “air traffic control” for the sea, directs sea traffic 24 hours a day. It’s a 20-employee, $3.2 million-a-year operation, funded with charges from the ships that dock.
“Back in 2019 — a normal year — we’d have 10 to 20 vessels at anchor,” Louttit said. “On Sept. 19, we had a record 97 vessels at anchor.”
The cargo flood
After the pandemic almost shuttered ship arrivals during the spring of 2020 at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a voracious demand for goods has kept the ports packed with waiting ships since July 2020. It shows no sign of letting up.
In August, some 90% of incoming cargo traffic headed for the ports wound up “parked” off the coast of Southern California, sitting outside the harbors for as long as a week before being processed.
The cargo flood is expected to continue well into 2022, with perhaps a brief slow down just after the first of the year when the Chinese New Year is celebrated and the flow of goods typically eases up for a few weeks.
How it works
When people think of a nonprofit, some imagine a back room in a garage, Louttit said.
The Marine Exchange, however, is a state-of-the-art, comprehensive computerized database system that provides vital statistics and information on ships calling at the ports.
Two people are on duty at all times. One mans the “wall of knowledge,” displaying radar images of traffic on large computer screens, the other handles calls with the vessels and computer entries. A Coast Guard agent authorizes the Marine Exchange.
When ships are within four days from shore, they notify the Coast Guard and submit details about the goods they’re carrying. Once they’re within 25 miles, the ships are asked either to drift in deep waters, clear of shipping lanes, or they’re assigned an anchorage close to shore, in shallower waters.
Those anchorages are pre-mapped spots where the ship can drop anchor and await a berth. When traffic is heavy, ships are directed to overflow spots established by latitude and longitude.
Some overflow spots are off the coast of Huntington Beach, spaced between oil platforms.
Once a ship is given a time to berth, a port pilot — among the ports’ best-paid workers — comes aboard and, with the help of tugboats, guides the ship in. After that, the ship is unloaded by longshore workers and its cargo is taken by truck or rail to its next destination.
The smallest vessels pay $250 for this service; the largest pay $1,400. More than 4,200 arrivals were billed in 2020, according to the Marine Exchange.
Broken record
Both ports have broken 100-year-old cargo records over the past year. The backup at the ports, however, reflects a bigger issue that extends through the entire supply chain, touching everything from warehouse space to rail and truck efficiency.
“Warehouses are overflowing. Rail yards and carriage are maxed out. Chassis containers continue to be hard to come by. Ships are coming in and waiting to get worked on. And factories are behind in orders, even though our output is at record levels”, said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka in August.
“We’re receiving volumes that outsize the U.S. West Coast in terms of the number of ports and terminals,” Hacegaba said in a September story by Southern California News Group. “It’s like pouring oil into an engine from a funnel. We’re accommodating ships and containers that far out-size our facilities.”
As cargo sits at a terminal, valuable space is taken up. That, in turn, slows the process of unloading cargo and adds to the numbers of ships waiting outside the harbors.
Both ports are focused now on increasing freight movement once it reaches their shores, with the Port of Long Beach trying a 24-hour operation at one of its terminals and the Port of Los Angeles offering incentives to encourage trucking companies to pick up cargo and drop off empties at off-peak times.
What role vessel traffic and anchoring may have played in the spill is something that Louttit will leave to the investigators. “I’m not part of the Unified Command,” he said. “They want me focused on keeping all the ships out there safe.”
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Source: oc register
