 | This article appears to be slanted towards recent events.(July 2022) |
Imports
Exports
Domestic
The United States has more than 20 container ports around its coastline.
| This article appears to be slanted towards recent events.(July 2022) |
The United States has more than 20 container ports around its coastline.
| Port | Draft depth | Air draft |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Seattle | 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Tacoma | Greater than 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Portland | 40 feet (12 m) | 196 feet (60 m) |
| Port of Oakland | 50 feet (15 m) | 190 feet (58 m) |
| Port of San Francisco | 50 feet (15 m) | 220 feet (67 m) |
| Port of Hueneme | 40 feet (12 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Los Angeles | Greater than 52 feet (16 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Long Beach | Greater than 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of San Diego | Greater than 35 feet (11 m) | Unlimited |
| Port | Draft depth | Air draft |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Houston | 45 feet (14 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of New Orleans | 45 feet (14 m) | 170 feet (52 m) |
| Port of Gulfport | 39 feet (12 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Mobile | 45 feet (14 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Tampa | 43 feet (13 m) | Unlimited |
| Port | Draft depth | Air draft |
|---|---|---|
| Port of Miami | 43 feet (13 m) | Unlimited |
| Port Everglades | 43 feet (13 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Palm Beach | 36 feet (11 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Jacksonville | 47 feet (14 m) | 175 feet (53 m) |
| Port of Savannah | 47 feet (14 m) | 185 feet (56 m) |
| Port of Charleston | 52 feet (16 m) | 186 feet (57 m) |
| Port of Wilmington (North Carolina) | 42 feet (13 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Virginia: | ||
| *Norfolk International Terminals | 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| *Portsmouth Marine Terminal | 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| *Newport News Marine Terminal | 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| *Virginia International Gateway | 50 feet (15 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Baltimore | 50 feet (15 m) | 185 feet (56 m) |
| Port of Wilmington (Delaware) | 38 feet (12 m) | 188 feet (57 m) [1] |
| Port of Chester | 45 feet (14 m) | 188 feet (57 m) |
| Port of Philadelphia | 45 feet (14 m) | 188 feet (57 m) [1] |
| Port of Camden | 45 feet (14 m) | 150 feet (46 m) [1] |
| Port of New York and New Jersey: | ||
| *Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal | 50 feet (15 m) | 215 feet (66 m) |
| *Port Jersey | 50 feet (15 m) | 228 feet (69 m) |
| *Howland Hook Marine Terminal | 50 feet (15 m) | 215 feet (66 m) |
| *Red Hook Container Terminal | 50 feet (15 m) | 228 feet (69 m) |
| Port of Boston | 47 feet (14 m) | Unlimited |
| Port of Portland (Maine) | 32 feet (9.8 m) [2] |
Dredging of east coast ports are under way [3] because of the New Panama Canal expansion and the expectation of larger container ships.
The Jasper Ocean Terminal is a planned container terminal to be built on the Savannah River downstream of Savannah, GA that is expected to begin operations in the mid 2020s. [4]
The supply chains that were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic faced huge challenges and struggled to recover. Industries around the world shutdown due to the rapid spread of the virus in 2020. There was reduced industrial activity and lower consumer demand. While consumer demand increased quickly when lockdowns were lifted, manufacturers and distributors of goods were stymied by worker shortages and a lack of key components and raw materials. Additional bottlenecks included containers, shipping, trucks, railroads and warehouses. [5] Ports around the world were impacted with ports in the United States in particular experiencing blockages as they were overwhelmed with container ships and their cargo. [6] The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles together account for approximately 40% of the shipping containers entering the United States. [7] More than three-quarters of the containers leaving Los Angeles were empty in July 2021 whereas about two-thirds of the containers leaving U.S. ports are typically filled with exports. Many of containers were going back empty due to the rush by shippers to bring in imports of back-to-school supplies and fall fashions from Asia. [8] This impacted Midwestern farmers and California Almond Growers who ship to customers overseas. [9] Shipping companies placed a lower priority on products that paid lower shipping rates resulting in various exports being delayed. [8] In October, there were a record number of ships at the docks of these two Los Angeles area ports as well a record number of ships waiting for a slip. [10] In early November, more than 100 ships were anchored in San Pedro Bay. [11] It was unusual for even one vessel to be waiting offshore before the coronavirus pandemic. [7] In late 2021 and the first month of 2022, container ships have remained at American ports unloading goods for seven days on average, 21 percent higher than at the start of the pandemic. The mayhem at ports and shipping yards was a key driver for rising prices together with the market dominance of major companies. In early 2022, politicians and central bankers worked to tame inflation as businesses continued to struggle to manufacture and distribute their products. [12] By July the total value of trade stuck on the water off the east and west coast ports was estimated at roughly $30 billion. Another $1.5 billion in trade was waiting for rail service at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which was 60% of all containers waiting at these ports. [13] By September 2022, the backlog at U.S. ports decreased partially due to slowing U.S. import volumes amid high inflation and rising interest rates. [14]
Hapag-Lloyd AG is a German international shipping and container transportation company, the 5th biggest in the world. It was formed in 1970 through a merger of Hamburg-American Line (HAPAG) and Norddeutscher Lloyd.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is a Japanese transport company headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest shipping companies in the world.
The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) of land and water with 43 miles (69 km) of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", the port is located in San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro and Wilmington neighborhoods of Los Angeles, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of downtown.
A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S, usually known simply as Maersk, is a Danish shipping and logistics company founded in 1904 by Arnold Peter Møller and his father Peter Mærsk Møller.
The Oakland Seaport is a major container ship facility located in Oakland, California, in the San Francisco Bay. It is operated by the Port of Oakland port authority along with the Oakland International Airport. It was the first major port on the Pacific Coast of the United States to build terminals for container ships. As of 2022, it was the eighth busiest container port in the United States, behind the ports of Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Long Beach, Savannah, Houston, Virginia, and Seattle/Tacoma. Development of an intermodal container handling system in 2002 after over a decade of planning and construction positions the Oakland Seaport for further expansion of the West Coast freight market share. In 2019 it ranked 8th in the United States in the category of containers.
The Port of Long Beach, administered as the Harbor Department of the City of Long Beach, is a container port in the United States, which adjoins Port of Los Angeles. Acting as a major gateway for US–Asian trade, the port occupies 3,200 acres (13 km2) of land with 25 miles (40 km) of waterfront in the city of Long Beach, California. The Port of Long Beach is located less than two miles (3 km) southwest of Downtown Long Beach and approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of Downtown Los Angeles. The seaport generates approximately US$100 billion per year in trade and employs more than 316,000 people in Southern California. In 2022, the port, together with the adjoining Port of Los Angeles, were considered amongst the world's least efficient ports by the World Bank and IHS Markit citing union protectionism and a lack of automation.
The Port of Boston is a major seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the City of Boston. It is the largest port in Massachusetts and one of the principal ports on the East Coast of the United States.
Evergreen Marine Corporation is a Taiwanese container transportation and shipping company that is headquartered in Luzhu District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. With over 150 container ships, it is part of the Evergreen Group conglomerate of transportation firms and associated companies.
CMA CGM is a French shipping and logistics company founded in 1978 by Jacques Saadé.
Zayed Port also called Mina Zayed, is a commercial deep-water port owned by the Abu Dhabi Ports that serves Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Established in 1968, Zayed Port is in the northeast section of Abu Dhabi city. It was officially inaugurated and became fully operational in 1972, and is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former President of the United Arab Emirates. The transfer of Zayed Port's container traffic to the newly developed US$7.2 billion Khalifa Port container terminal was completed in 2012.
Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd. was a South Korean logistics and container transport company. Hanjin Shipping was South Korea's largest container line and one of the world's top ten container carriers in terms of capacity.
DP World is a multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. Formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International, DP World handles 70 million containers that are brought in by around 70,000 vessels annually. This equates to roughly 10% of global container traffic accounted for by their 82 marine and inland terminals present in over 40 countries. Until 2016, DP World was primarily a global port operator, but since then, it has acquired other companies up and down the value chain.
Port security is part of a broader definition concerning maritime security. It refers to the defense, law and treaty enforcement, and Counterterrorism activities that fall within the port and maritime domain. It includes the protection of the seaports themselves and the protection and inspection of the cargo moving through the ports. Security risks related to ports often focus on either the physical security of the port, or security risks within the maritime supply chain.
The Port of Charleston is a seaport located in South Carolina in the Southeastern United States. The port's facilities span three municipalities—Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant—with six public terminals owned and operated by the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA). These facilities handle containers, motor vehicles and other rolling stock, non-containerized goods and project cargo, as well as Charleston's cruise ship operation. Additional facilities in the port are privately owned and operated, handling bulk commodities like petroleum, coal and steel.
Maersk Line is a Danish international container shipping company and the largest operating subsidiary of Maersk, a Danish business conglomerate. Founded in 1928, it is the world's second largest container shipping company by both fleet size and cargo capacity, offering regular services to 374 ports in 116 countries. As of 2024, it employed over 100,000 people. Maersk Line operates over 700 vessels and has a total capacity of about 4.1 million TEU.
The Port of Hueneme in the city of Port Hueneme, California, United States, is the only deep water harbor between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Located in Ventura County on the Santa Barbara Channel, the port complex not only serves international shipping businesses but is an operating facility of Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC).
COSCO SHIPPING Lines Co., Ltd. is a Chinese international container transportation and shipping company. It is a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Holdings, and its parent company is China's state-owned COSCO Shipping.
The Suez Canal was blocked for six days from 23 to 29 March 2021 by the Ever Given, a container ship that had run aground in the canal.
In 2021, as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and, later, the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, global supply chains and shipments slowed, causing worldwide shortages and affecting consumer patterns. Causes of the economic slowdown included workers becoming sick with COVID-19 as well as mandates and restrictions affecting the availability of staff. In cargo shipping, goods remained at port due to staffing shortages.
The 2024 United States port strike was a labor strike involving over 47,000 port workers who are part of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), impacting 36 ports across the United States primarily along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast. The strike began at midnight EST on October 1, 2024, following the expiration of a contract between the port workers and the ports due to disagreements about compensation for workers and the use of automation.
Media related to Container terminals in the United States at Wikimedia Commons