Pacific Harbor Express LLC

18/03/2022

One more Maersk Line post before we head out to the yard. The west coast is still in the midst of this bizarre situation on the entire west coast where these mega-vessels have to park and sit for weeks out in the open ocean, waiting for a berth to open up. We're tracking many of these "paused" vessels anchored all the way down in Mexican waters in Baja California (thank you to the "Marine Traffic" website):


• Challenges Continue on Pacific Coast: Vessel wait times are approximately 11-36 days for the 46 vessels steaming towards LA and Long Beach. In the Pacific Northwest ports, vessel wait times are 14-days in Prince Rupert and 28-days in Vancouver. Yard utilizations are at 100%, therefore impacting scheduled sailings with several missed sailings planned for this area. The situation in Canada could be exacerbated by a potential work stoppage at Canadian Pacific Railway.

18/03/2022

We wish it would all get better here on the west Coast but the road looks like the road ahead could be rough. This from today trade advisory sent our by Maersk Line (used without permissions, sorry Maersk, but we are crediting you):....
ILWU Contract Negotiations Approaching

Negotiations haven’t started yet, but the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) contract expires 1 July. Negotiations are handled by the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents more than 70 maritime employers. At the Journal of Commerce TPM conference in March, A.P. Moller - Maersk CEO of Ocean & Logistics, Vincent Clerc expressed his desire for a swift completion of the negotiations process and also emphasized the importance of “resiliency” in the face of constant change.

Given all the uncertainties of the current operating environment, Customers should review their supply chains and consider whether having continuity plans working in advance makes sense for their businesses, such as:
• Expedite critical imports prior to July 1
• Consider alternative gateways
• Use off-dock depots for full container storage needs • Postpone what can be postponed
• Strategically use air freight
• Plan and secure inland capacity for rail, trucks, and chassis

10/05/2021

Situation at the US Ports.

An average of 30 container ships a day have been stuck outside the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just waiting to deliver their goods. The backlog is part of a global supply-chain mess spurred by the pandemic that means consumers could see delivery delays for weeks. Photo Composite: Adam Falk/T...

24/03/2021

Trouble at Suez Canal!

The Suez Canal is currently blocked by a container ship that has run aground and is delaying ship movement.

28/02/2021

24/01/2021

(Bloomberg) -- One of AP Moller-Maersk’s container ships carrying goods from China to the U.S. lost part of its cargo in the Pacific Ocean during bad weather.About 750 containers from the Maersk Essen fell overboard on Jan. 16 while sailing from Xiamen, China to Los Angeles, the company said in an...

26/04/2020

I was working at the Port of Long Beach last week when I noticed 5 very large cruise ships at anchor in various location in the San Pedro Bay. Amazing. Amazingly Bad.

15/04/2020

Here is a photo I took while crossing the Vincent Thomas Bridge on Friday. The Navy ship Mercy can be seen there in front of the cruise ship parked there in the port of LA. I counted at least 5 other cruise ships sitting at anchor in the greater San Pedro Bay. It's a mess here folks. Port volumes are down 25% over last year, terminals are closing on a rotating basis 2 days per week and it's like a game of tetrus trying to return empty containers....COVID-19, 2020.

16/03/2020

We delivered 5 locally-made heat exchangers to Fenix terminal in the port of Los Angeles for a "shipside-direct loading" on Saturday morning, March 14. Each unit was 54' x 8.5' x 8' and weighed 76,000 lbs. Loaded on to 5 stretch step deck trailers in Murrieta, CA at 5 am on the day before and dropped overnight at Fenix. Breakbulk on container vessels is not rare, though I have probably been involved in less that 10 of them over the years. They take a LOT of coordination, but the reward of perfect ex*****on on a job like this is immense....
The OWI Team.

07/03/2020

Hmmm. I was supervising the vanning of a 20' container of hazardous materials the other day when I happened to notice the Bureau Veritas logo stamped on the back of the container. I wonder where they got the inspiration for this? At the center appears to be a reclining woman, apparently in the n**e, with her left foot resting on an orb, holding a lit torch and an upturned flask of...olive oil? And then a chicken. And a few snakes? And some other shapes...Really wondering about this. Inspired by Greek mythology?