159 ships wait seaside at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Port according to The Marine Exchange of Southern California as of yesterday. Out of the 159 ships, 102 are cargo ships, many of which are at anchor while some “loiter”–or for better terms, idle in the sea waiting to dock.
Ship Report 11/1: 159 total ships inport LA/LB including 100 at anchor or loitering & 59 at berths. Of the 159, 102 are container ships including 73 at anchor or loitering & 29 at berth. 48 vessels loitering; 42 container ships, 2 tankers, 4 bulk.
— Marine Exchange (@MXSOCAL) November 2, 2021
More: https://t.co/5aY5tY73aY pic.twitter.com/H1f9UcyqWv
Ships unable to drop their cargo, along with the shortage of other logistical labor, is causing a noticeable decrease in supply throughout the United States. Last month food prices skyrocketed–demand stays steady while the supply of food has been decreasing. The Biden Administration has recently announced the Los Angeles port will now operate 24/7. Walmart, Fedex, UPS and Home Depot have joined the cause and expanded their hours of operation. A shortage of willing workers, booming demand and COVID-19 have seemingly formed a perfect storm for the supply chain disruptions.
However, Governors Greg Abbot (TX) and Ron DeSantis (FL) have been vocal that their states are ready to receive the shipments.
Abbot released a cunning promotional style video yesterday on his Twitter feed. The video is parodical, emulating a sort of advertisement, with lines such as “Escape California. Everyone is doing it.” The video received attention from other Twitter users.
Texas ports are open & ready to help fix America’s supply chain backlog.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 1, 2021
We can get goods out faster & at a lower cost than California due to our centralized location.
Choose Texas.pic.twitter.com/6nE0DjYJxB
Texas sports the #2 port in the US for waterborne cargo and inbounds 616.2 million tons of shipment, according to the Texas Ports Association.
Later, Governor Abbot appeared on Fox News this morning and claims that California regulations are one of the reasons for the back ups. Abbot argued that ships would be able to travel through The Panama Canal, unload, and “…and be back in Asia before they would be unloading in California.“
“Florida’s here, we’ve got capacity, and we’ve also got incentive packages to make it worth your while to be able to bring your business to our ports…” The governor of Florida said during a press conference at Jacksonville’s JaxPort, one of America’s largest container ports.
DeSantis was followed up by the JaxPort’s CEO who had a message for companies looking to drop their imports, saying “We want the industry that Florida ports, like JaxPort, are a solution to the nations port congestion problem…” JaxPort is offering incentives to those who are rerouting to JaxPort, and according to the JaxPort website, Hapag-Lloyd has taken them on the offer.
DeSantis Tweeted in affirmation after the press conference:
Florida is open for business and Florida ports are ready to help America’s supply chain backlog.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 19, 2021
My Administration is showing our commitment to America’s supply chain with investments and action. pic.twitter.com/OhuHERbKRx
Both governors emphasize their respective states have the logistical capacity to handle ground-travel after imports. As the supply shock ripples through the states, perhaps more ships will reroute to Texas and Florida to test their claims.
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