Port of Long Beach extends operation of container storage facility for congestion relief
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has unanimously approved an extra six months of operation for a temporary container storage facility on the harbor district’s undeveloped "Pier S." This was done to help Port of Long Beach terminals quickly work through a backlog of cargo, the LB Board press release said.
The action temporarily extends the life of the existing 30-acre storage depot that opened in December 2014, and also allows for the storage of loaded cargo containers and chassis in addition to the empty containers already permitted there.
Conditions at the Port have changed since the storage depot's opening. A tentative agreement has been reached on the dockworkers' contract, federal regulators granted permission for Long Beach and its neighbor the Port of Los Angeles to collaborate on congestion relief, and private chassis fleets in the region agreed to pool their resources. But terminals are in need of additional space as they try to eliminate a backlog of cargo that built up over months of congestion.
With the initial time period for the container storage depot set to expire March 31, the Port acted to expand the use of the area at Pier S. Pasha Stevedoring & Terminals Inc. will continue to operate the storage depot, and the Port will monitor traffic for any issues.
The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a primary gateway for transpacific trade and a trailblazer in innovative goods movement, safety and environmental stewardship. With 140 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports worldwide, the Port handles trade valued at more than $155 billion each year and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in Southern California. Founded in 1911, the Port enters its second century with more than $4 billion in planned capital improvements over the next decade to support trade growth and strengthen its ability to serve the goods-movement industry, Port clients and the community.