SoCal terminals to stay open Saturdays

Los Angeles and Long Beach marine terminals have reversed plans to end Saturday hours after an outcry by shippers and port trucking companies.

PierPASS, the organization that helps fund off-peak shifts in the two ports on Saturday and nightly Monday through Thursday, said in a statement it has put on hold the plan to end Saturday off-peak shifts after Jan. 10.

But it added, In response to sharply declining cargo volumes, terminal operators will continue to evaluate the economic implications of ending the Saturday shifts versus other ways to better align operational costs with revenues. The off-peak shifts run by PierPASS have clearly become a vital part of operations for many of our customers, said Bruce Wargo, PierPASS president and chief executive officer. Many in the industry have let us know that the impact of ending the Saturday shift will be significant to them, and as a result we will suspend the decision while we evaluate other alternatives.

Robin Lanier, executive director of the Waterfront Coalition, a group that represents port users and opposed the suspension of Saturday hours, said her organization was pleased with the decision.

But she added the industry realizes terminal operators still have financial problems because of falling cargo volumes. Those need to be addressed, she said.

Lanier would like to see an industry task force discuss the financial problems terminals face. It would also give port users information on how much money PierPASS collects and the cost of We don't want figures on individual terminals, she said, but thought port-wide figures would help shippers and terminals come up with a long-term solution that would make the off-peak hours viable for the long term.

Source: American Shipper