Ship congestion around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach hit an unprecedented level, worsening the bottleneck at the busiest gateway for U.S. imports.
A record 38 containerships are awaiting berth space — 36 at anchor and two that were directed to wait in designated areas at sea until anchorages are available, the Marine Exchange of Southern California said in a note late Jan. 28. It’s the first time since 2004 that so-called drift zones have been used to manage traffic into the neighboring ports.