SAN DIEGO — The backup of cargo ships heading towards Lengthy Seaside and Los Angeles is so unhealthy, now you can see vessels ready off the coast of San Diego.
“The entire coast is simply lined up with delivery containers,” stated Encinitas resident, Peter Byrne.
Byrne did not understand how unhealthy the delivery backup was till Friday evening when he seen a row of lights stretching throughout the horizon from his house.
“And I used to be like ‘I ponder what all these are.’ So, Saturday morning I went out and it was a brilliant clear day and I might see with my bare eye numerous ships on the market, so I bought the telescope out and that is after I seen they’re all delivery containers,” stated Byrne.
On Monday, it was too hazy to see something through the day.
However, in keeping with the web site, vesselfinder.com, they’re on the market off the San Diego coast within the dozens.
Whereas some are going to San Diego, the bulk are headed in direction of Lengthy Seaside and Los Angeles the place, as of Sunday evening, practically 90 had been ready to get in.
The issue began as extra folks turned to on-line ordering through the pandemic.
However, it is gotten worse due quite a lot of points together with, in keeping with some, added COVID protocols, an absence of warehouse staff and truck drivers.
To assist get issues shifting, the Lengthy Seaside and LA ports have imposed $100 a day fines for containers that sit for greater than 9 days.
Hours of operation have additionally been prolonged, and the Biden administration has promised to “press on methods to deal with points within the provide chain.”
A spokesperson for the Port of San Diego instructed Information 8 that operations listed here are working on schedule, although they’ve been accepting further vessels and can “proceed to judge vessel potential every week with an eye fixed to helping the provision chain points in LA and Lengthy Seaside.”
Regardless of the work being executed, to alleviate the backup, specialists warn it might stick round by the vacation season, resulting in extra empty cabinets and better costs.
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