Satellite Images Show Massive Armada Of Idle Cargo Ships Waiting To Dock In Long Beach

[Javaman]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42612/satellite-images-show-massive-armada-of-idle-cargo-ships-waiting-to-dock-in-long-beach

The massive backlog of cargo ships stacking up off the port of Long Beach, California, is making headlines. It's a complicated situation, with multiple factors contributing to the unprecedented situation, including labor shortages at the docks, growing ship sizes, and COVID-safety measures slowing down the processing of each ship's cargo, as well as a big uptick in incoming cargo, among others. Well over 60 ships are awaiting their turn to offload and the massive delay there, as well as at other U.S. ports, is impacting an already rickety supply chain that has been battered by the logistical fits and starts of the pandemic.

The best way to understand just how bad the problem has become is visually. With this in mind, we obtained recent satellite imagery of the area. The image at the top of this post was taken using satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR), with each big ship showing up as a bright glimmer among the black backdrop of the ocean.

snip

With shipping at California's biggest port up nearly by a third compared to a year ago and ongoing complications due to COVID-19, delays in cargo transfers have been present throughout the year, but they have been elevated to a new high for the fall shipping season. Many of the goods that get shipped during this time of year are meant to stock retail outlets' shelves during the holiday season, for instance.

Delays in that numbered days or weeks have quickly turned into many weeks or even months as a result. Now major logistics companies are looking for any open port on the west coast to redirect their cargoes, even if it is extremely inconvenient and may shatter the established shipping price model. Of course, all these impacts tend to snowball and lead to even more delays and ballooning shipping costs down the line.

go to the link and check out the satellite images. pretty amazing.

[Nixie]

1. We've seen them while going over the bridges in San Pedro.

It’s quite a sight.

Those dock workers make really good money, so the labor shortage is strange.

[Demovictory9]

4. I read somewhere that there are not enough of those container unloading machines to catch up

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. Maybe some day we will start making stuff here again?

When manufacturers realize it’s too difficult/expensive to ship through very vulnerable choke-points.

[Demovictory9]

5. USA would have to be willing to absorb all that polution involved in manufacturing again

[hunter]

7. Or pay extra for near-zero pollution manufacturing methods.

Even China is learning that pollution and low wages are a bad thing.

Too bad they had to learn it the hard way.

[Klaralven]

3. The port can handle about 16 ships docked at a time, based on the length of piers, Google satellite

However, the port is pretty difficult to maneuver in and out of, and I doubt that many of the piers can handle the largest container ships. The smaller ones can go through the Panama Canal to Gulf and West Coast ports.

It also doesn't look very efficient for getting the containers off the ships, onto container rail cars, and out of LA.

[Chakaconcarne]

6. Is one of them responsible for the oil spill?

[petronius]

9. That's a possibility they're looking at (seems like a good one)

This article has a map, and the pipeline appears to run right through the traffic jam...

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-05/did-wayward-ship-anchor-cause-california-oil-spill

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

8. So thats where all the chips are