Did two California ports threaten to impose fines on idled shipping containers?
By Austin Tannenbaum
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YES
The threat of fines on shipping containers left waiting too long at the docks appears to have helped reduce delays at the nation's busiest cargo gateway.
In November, urged by the Biden administration to take action as shipping delays mounted, the adjacent California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach approved compounding $100-per-day fines on shipping containers left sitting at the ports for extended periods.
As of early February authorities had yet to actually impose the penalties. "Merely announcing the fee reduced the number of those idling containers by more than 60%," a port official said on Jan. 20. "The results have been phenomenal."
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wall Street Journal Ship Backup at Southern California Ports Is Receding
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