The United States has tapped John Porcari to serve as the port envoy to the Biden administration's Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.

The task group was formed in June with the objective of providing a federal response to supply chain problems while the country recovers from the coronavirus epidemic.

Porcari will collaborate with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Department of Transportation officials, as well as National Economic Council representatives to alleviate port congestion in the country as well as backlogs, delivery delays, and product shortages.

Porcari has earlier worked for the engineering consulting firm WSP USA as president of advisory services, where he was in charge of integrating the company's technical capabilities in planning and construction management. During the Obama administration, he also served as the deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation and the secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

“The pandemic has fundamentally disrupted our supply chains, which is impacting consumers, workers and businesses across the country,” Porcari said.

“I am excited to hit the ground running and get to work immediately with industry, labor and other port stakeholders to address these challenges and to build a more resilient, future-facing supply chain that powers our economy into the future.”

Due to Covid-19, shipping has been disrupted, and demand has shifted as a result of the epidemic. According to the DoT, the cost of transporting containers between China and the West Coast has increased by over 90% since 2019.

In the first half of the year, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — the nation’s largest ports, respectively, and major gateways for international freight  — saw container cargo volumes expand 40% compared with the same period in 2020.