How Florida could save Christmas: Port authority tells cargo vessels waiting to dock in California to divert via Panama Canal to The Sunshine State where there are NO backlogs

UK Daily Mail ^ | 10/21/2021 | MIchelle Thompson

[rxsid]

"Where was Newsom?

Does anyone really think that Newsom is equipped to manage California?

=====================================================

Nobody who is honest with themselves.

But have no fear, with the election theft apparatus still in place in the contested states with (R) congressional majorities, we ALL can enjoy gov hairdo "managing" the entire country.

[proust]

Desantis leads while others brag about how good they are at “selling” the vaxx.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Too late to save XMAS at this point.

[oldasrocks]

I told them long ago to dig a canal across the Mexican border. Might cost a little more up front but would pay for itself and stop a lot of illegal crossing.
No one ever listens to me though

[rxsid]

"Like I said, Oakland is only a few 100 miles away from LA/Long Beach but they are not diverting traffic there for some reason. Hard to imagine then that Florida is more attractive than Oakland."

Yup.

Everyone involved from the manufacturer/originators of the stuff, the shipping companies and the final recipients of the stuff...are not in the business of loosing money.

The fact remains, those massive cargo ships remain anchored off the southern CA coast for a reason.

If it were cheaper (anchor time vs. transit costs, etc.) / possible (deep, large enough ports) / allowable (contracts, laws?) to divert to another port somewhere else in the country, they would have done so already.

[JimRed]

Then shipping costs on every load will have to be renegotiated.

[rxsid]

"I told them long ago to dig a canal across the Mexican border. Might cost a little more up front but would pay for itself and stop a lot of illegal crossing. No one ever listens to me though."

Ha! What a novel idea. 2 birds with one stone. I wonder if anyone has ever done a feasibility study on that, time to recoup the cost.

[MayflowerMadam]

DeSantis made this suggestion about a week ago and I wonder why it took so long to get them to seriously consider it.

[sit-rep]

really?? and is the fuel cost going to be rolled over on us as well??As well, it costs a 40’ sailboat 5K to go thru the canal... I cant even fathom how much it costs a freighter!! the thought is not sensible in the least...

[mewzilla]

Surely there must be language in their contracts to allow for when a port cannot or will not allow a shipper to offload...?

[longtermmemmory]

the contract penalty for not offloading in port could be way more. I bet “because Biden is stupid” is not an excuse in the shipping contract.

[SkyDancer]

Watch port workers head to FL to work.

[jttpwalsh]

Agreed. I don’t particularly care for the contact at that forwarder, since the client was paying, I just fulfilled the request, and asked no questions.

Things are so bad now, that a lot of previous ocean cargo is going by air. Medical device industry, so mark up is less of an issue, there.

Thanks for your reply!

[Alberta's Child]

That’s a good question. Maybe some of the Freepers who work in the industry for the customers of these shipping lines can chime in on that.

I would think a customer could ultimately refuse to accept a load if it is delivered late. “My Halloween costumes didn’t arrive until after Thanksgiving” seems like a perfectly good reason to reject a shipment.

[Jotmo]

“A Florida port authority is inviting steamships waiting to dock in California to divert via the Panama Canal to the sunshine state, where there are no backlogs”

Steamships?

Dear lord. Think you might want to update you style guide from the 1940’s there guys.

[Highest Authority]

Jimma Karter abandoned the Canal and China stepped in.

[DUMBGRUNT]

With the opening of the Panama Canal expansion in June, it was to be expected that the waterway would shatter all sorts of cargo volume records, but with the canal’s added capacity one figure in particular stands out: $829,468.

That’s the staggering toll a containership previously too big to use the Panama Canal just paid to pass through it.

https://gcaptain.com/containership-pays-nearly-1-million-toll-to-cross-the-expanded-panama-canal/

And they have to make a return trip, plus additional miles...

[Alberta's Child]

FWIW … the term “steamship” is sometimes used in modern shipping jargon even though most of these vessels are no longer powered by steam. It’s sort of like unionized truck drivers who are called “teamsters” even though the original usage of the word (they hauled freight in wagons pulled by teams of horses) hasn’t been relevant in more than a hundred years.

[rxsid]

The ships of today are 2 or even 3 times larger than the ships of just 10 or 15 years ago.[1]

U.S. Ports are only operating at about 60-70% capacity (i.e. not 24/7). Another problem, Southern CA warehouses only have 2% vacancy (i.e. they are full), the rest of the western U.S. isn't much better, at 3.6% vacancy. [2]

The Port of Savannah has a backlog as well, ~20+ ships. Something they've never encountered before.[3]

Company's are also having a difficult time finding containers, because so many are sitting idle offshore. [4]

Regarding some of the logistics involved here...

Top 10: The busiest container ports in the United States (July 18, 2021)

1. Port of Los Angeles, California - More than 9.2 million TEU in 2020 - handles 20% of all incoming cargo for the US.
2. Port of Long Beach, California - More than 8.1 million TEU in 2020

In just those two congested ports alone, ~17.3 TEU.

3. Port of New York and New Jersey, New York - More than 7.5 million TEU in 2020
4. Port of Savannah, Georgia - More than 4.6 million TEU in 2020
5. The Northwest Seaport Alliance (Seattle and Tacoma), Washington - More than 3.3 million TEU in 2020
6. Port Houston, Texas - More than 2.9 million TEU in 2020
7. Port of Virginia, Virginia - More than 2.8 million TEU in 2020
8. Port of Oakland, California - More than 2.4 million TEU in 2020
9. South Carolina Ports, South Carolina - More than 2.3 million TEU in 2020
10. Port Miami, Florida - More than 1 million TEU in 2020

"The twenty-foot equivalent unit (abbreviated TEU or teu) is an inexact unit of cargo capacity, often used for container ships and container ports.[1] It is based on the volume of a 20-foot-long (6.1 m) intermodal container, a standard-sized metal box which can be easily transferred between different modes of transportation, such as ships, trains, and trucks.[1]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-foot_equivalent_unit

Then, there is the issue of what ports can handle these mega shipping vessels.

Channel Depth at Major North American Container Ports
MLW (mean low water): The average height of the low waters over a 19-year period. Source: Adapted from US Department of Transportation, Port Performance Freight Statistics Program. & Port Authorities. Note: Containership capacity refers to full ships. A port can accommodate larger ships if they are partially loaded.

Port locations and sites are preliminarily constrained by the maritime access they can provide. A core component of this access is related to the depth of the waterway system, the port access channels, and, more practically the berth depth. The above map illustrates the channel depth of major container ports in North America as well as the potential containership capacity such a depth may accommodate. This does not necessarily mean that the port has the physical capacity to accommodate those ships since it could be lacking berth space, turning basins, equipment (cranes), or yard space to do so.
https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter6/port-terminals/channel-depth-ports-north-america/

Of the top 10 busiest ports listed above, only #1 LA, #2 Long Beach and #5 Seattle/Tacoma can handle the biggest ships, in terms of maritime access (but SEA/TAC doesn't have the onshore capacity that LALB has of course). All on the west coast.

[rxsid]

""I told them long ago to dig a canal across the Mexican border. Might cost a little more up front but would pay for itself and stop a lot of illegal crossing. No one ever listens to me though."

Ha! What a novel idea. 2 birds with one stone. I wonder if anyone has ever done a feasibility study on that, time to recoup the cost.

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Not only would it be a shorter route to the Gulf and East Coasts as well as making it more difficult for foreign nationals to simply walk into our country illegally...but it would be controlled by our country (as opposed to China). Put the entire canal on U.S. soil. A law could be enacted that prohibits the sale, in any capacity or percentage, to any other country.

Maybe Trump, the builder, can get it started during his second term.

Wishful thinking, haha. Interesting idea though.