West Coast port delays data from FourKites

FourKites saw a spike in load count beginning the week of August 23. That week, the load count was approximately twice the usual load count. The growth continued into the week of Oct 4 with the highest recorded load count at 5x larger than the weekly average shipments at this location in 2021.

• Load count has since declined in subsequent weeks, returning closer to annual averages but remaining on the high side of the volume of imports. 
• Following the week of October 4’s high of 5X the weekly average of imports, October 11 had 35% higher than the historic average of import shipments. 
• A week prior to the spike in volume seen during the week of October 4, FourKites saw the highest average berthing time at 10 days during the week of Sept 27.  
• The subsequent weeks have since seen a decline in berthing time, which was most recently 6 days during the week of Oct 4, and 1 day during the week of Oct 11.

Port of LA

Port of LA saw a similar pattern in increased load volume, beginning the week of August 23 with 3X the average volume, and has remained above average since that time. 
Commentary from Glenn Koepke, SVP of Customer Success at FourKites: We anticipate volume increasing significantly to LA/LB through the 2nd week of December as smaller shippers and last minute product buys are being pushed through. In the event that volume doesn’t meet the distribution center receive-date requirements to hit shelves on time, or to fulfill e-commerce orders, any excess stock will lead to post-holiday sales that will be larger than any year we have seen before.

• The Port of LA peak load volume occurred one month earlier than Port of Long Beach, during the week of Sept 6, where the loads were 5x the historic average. 
• During the week following the 5X spike at the Port of Long Beach — the week of October 11 — Port of LA saw 2X the amount of loads compared to the 2021 average volume.
• The berthing time delays show a similar dramatic spike and subsequent above-average delays. The longest berthing times reached 7 days during the week of Sept 20. In subsequent weeks, the berthing time continues at ~4 days, and has since returned to more historic averages, reaching 1 day during the week of Oct 11. 

Port of Seattle

During the time of the extensive berthing delays at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Port of Seattle saw a dramatic increase, with FourKites tracking 8X the average import volume the week of Sept. 20.
Commentary from Glenn Koepke, SVP of Customer Success at FourKites: LA/Long Beach have seen ongoing delays and constraints over the last few months. Carriers and shippers are shifting some cargo routes in an effort to reduce the traffic coming into LA/LB, and thereby reduce the overall transit time. However, while many shippers have changed routing from LA/LB to alternative East Coast ports, the volumes that shifted haven’t been statistically significant to impact the major East Coast port operations at this time. The additional lead time, cost and where product ultimately is routed into the US are major points of decision for shippers and beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) on the transpacific eastbound route (Asia to US).

• Extending into October, Seattle reached a second high at 3X the normal volume the week of October 11.
• Berthing time at Seattle has kept within it’s typical less-than-1-day expectations despite the volume increases in imports.