200,000 containers backlog! U.S. Supply Chain Tight, Los Angeles Port "Congested"

　　Chinanews, October 20th, a comprehensive report, the US supply chain tension continues.

Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, said that as of the 18th, about 200,000 containers are still backlogged outside the Port of Los Angeles, and 25% of the cargo on the terminal has been parked for 13 days or more, and there is still no Sufficient truck drivers are responsible for taking the goods.

　　US media reported that in response to supply chain issues, the White House had considered non-traditional options to deploy National Guard members to fill key positions in the supply chain.

Data map: On September 22, local time, the ports of California, Los Angeles and Long Beach set a record of congestion, and many cargo ships lined up for passage.

[There is a backlog of about 200,000 containers outside the port of Los Angeles]

　　Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told the US media that due to the epidemic and other related factors, which continue to affect various supply chains, as of the 18th, there are about 200,000 containers that have been backlogged outside the Port of Los Angeles. It is currently about two weeks. The workload is pending.

　　Ceroca said that in the last few months of 2021, it is crucial to ease the backlog of containers, as the Christmas shopping season is unfolding and there is a huge demand for retail products.

At present, the port is unloading, and then the cargo that needs to leave the port as soon as possible is processed first.

　　Currently, 25% of the cargo on the terminal has been parked for 13 days or more, but after US President Biden announced that the Port of Los Angeles will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the port has made some progress in moving containers out of the terminal.

　　Why does port congestion occur?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) article stated that since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Americans have spent more and more money on shopping instead of going on vacation or eating out.

Demand for consumer goods is generally 22% higher than before the new crown pandemic (compared with August 2021 in February 2020).

The arrival of important festivals such as Halloween and Christmas has also greatly increased the transportation of festive supplies.

　　Gary Huffbauer, a senior researcher at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said that a direct problem facing the port is the lack of skilled dockers, truck drivers and railway staff to load and unload containers.

He said that to a large extent this reflects the shortage of workers caused by the delta mutation virus, but it also reflects the shortage of drivers caused by retirement, especially the shortage of truck drivers.

[The White House considered sending the National Guard to drive a truck?

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　　The US "Washington Post" reported that at a time when the supply chain continued to be tense, the White House had considered non-traditional options to deploy National Guard members to fill key positions in the supply chain.

　　According to the report, this is one of many options explored by the White House to solve supply chain congestion.

The idea of ​​the White House is to let the state governments deploy the National Guard.

For example, go to drive a truck when the driver is nervous, and help unload cargo when the ship is jammed at the dock.

　　It is reported that the White House has studied what kind of driver's licenses most of the National Guard members hold, and whether sending them to drive a truck will affect the normal performance of other duties.

　　According to the report, this idea has been discussed among senior members of Biden's economic team, including officials from the Ministry of Transportation who are required to be responsible for resolving supply chain issues.

In addition, at least one private company has also made this proposal to the White House.

Other private sector suggestions include using docks owned by the Navy to unload cargo.

　　The report pointed out that this idea now seems unlikely to be implemented.

But it reflects that the severity of the problem has allowed the White House to start using creative thinking and mobilizing government resources.

　　However, some critics pointed out that using National Guard members to drive trucks is “not reliable” at all, because truck drivers require a lot of professional skills and safety training.