Port of Los Angeles to fine carriers for lingering empty containers

The Port of Los Angeles, the U.S.’s largest for container traffic, will charge a fee on ocean carriers that fail to clear empty containers off the docks from the end of next month.

From Jan. 30, the port will charge carriers $100 per day for each empty box sitting on the docks for at least nine days, rising by $100 daily until the container leaves the terminal, the port said in an emailed statement Thursday. The fee is subject to approval by the Harbor Commission.

The charge is similar to that which Los Angeles and neighboring Long Beach announced on Oct. 25 for lingering import containers. While the twin ports haven’t implemented the charge, its threat has reduced the number of import boxes sitting on marine terminals since late October by more than half, Los Angeles port Executive Director Gene Seroka said.

The build-up of cargo at the main U.S. gateway for imports from China contributed to goods shortages and price increases ahead of the holiday shopping season. Strained supply chains have become an economic drag on the world’s largest economy and a political risk for President Joe Biden as the disruptions put upward pressure on inflation.n