FMC Chairman Discusses Port Congestion Challenges with Lawmakers

As U.S. ocean commerce continues to expand, there's a growing need to fund improvements to port infrastructure, Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Mario Cordero told the Congressional Ports Caucus, said a FMC press release (here). The recent problems with port congestion point to insufficient funding and the need for use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, he said. "The thousands of containers that are discharged at one time from such vessels presents a huge challenge to terminal operators and port drayage truckers," he said. "The difficulties in the handling of such container volumes also exacerbates problems caused by insufficient chassis availability, trucker shortages, and lack of adequate investment in port-related infrastructure." There's been complaints to the FMC across all sectors, including spoilage of whole perishable shipments that could not be loaded in time for export, he said. The FMC "is doing what it can to help resolve congestion issues, including its grant of a request by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for expedited review of an amendment to their cooperative working agreement permitting them to address the systemic causes of port congestion," he said.