Long Beach port advances more congestion-relief measures

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners last week approved more measures to relieve congestion at the Port of Long Beach, including a Federal Maritime Commission petition seeking permission to work in concert with the Port of Los Angeles.

The board authorized the release of a request for proposals for the creation of a “peak chassis pool" that would augment chassis supply. A shortage of chassis has been a major factor in bottleneck issues at the port complex this year, port officials said in a press release.

The board also preliminarily approved a cap of four days for parking fees charged to ships. Due to cargo movement delays, ships have stayed longer at berths without paying higher fees. The port would forgo an estimated $150,000 in fees collected through March, 31, 2015, if it provided ships longer stays without an additional charge, board members said.

Meanwhile, the port’s temporary empty container depot is scheduled to open today at Pier S to provide truckers more space to unload empty containers. The 30-acre facility is scheduled to remain open until March's end. The board previously approved the temporary measure.

Similar to other ports around the nation, the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports are congested because of increasing trade, a surge in megaship usage and a chassis shortage. Although congestion peaked in fall, the Port of Long Beach needs to ensure a bottleneck doesn't occur again in the future, board members said.