The two San Pedro Bay ports — Los Angeles and Long Beach — announced that they will wait until February 11 to consider the start of the “Container Dwell Fee” after already deferring the implementation of the measure several times in the past due to improved cargo movements at the ports.
In a statement, the two ports reported a combined decline of 68% in aging cargo on the docks since the program was announced on October 25.
It said the executive directors of both ports will reassess fee implementation after monitoring data over the next week.
Fee implementation has also been postponed by both ports since the start of the program.
Under the temporary policy, ocean carriers can be charged for each import container dwelling nine days or more at the terminal. Currently, no date has been set to start the count with respect to container dwell time.
The ports plan to charge ocean carriers $100 per container, increasing in US$100 increments per container per day until the container leaves the terminal.
The ports noted that any fees collected from dwelling cargo will be reinvested for programs designed to enhance efficiency, accelerate cargo velocity and address congestion impacts.